A Warm Hand
by Pokeluv101
Summary: Visiting the sakura tree, Yukine stumbled upon crying girl. He couldn't have known that simple conversation and the offer of a warm hand could change a person's life so much. {Yukine and Nora}
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters_

* * *

The large sakura tree was always a bittersweet sight to Yukine. The night muted its usual vibrant colours but the moonlight washing over it gave it a warm glow. While it was beautiful, it also reminded him of Suzuha, a friend he had lost. But like the tree, his heart healed with time and care. Even if he was cast away from the cycle of life his friend lived in, he still had a few constants. Kazuma was a loyal friend as were the other shinki he befriended. Yato needed him and wouldn't release him. No matter what happened, they were a family.

"Kazuma and the others are doing great. I wish you could've lived long enough to see how great things are now." Yukine found himself speaking to the tree as if it could reach Suzuha's departed soul. At first Yukine only intended to pass by the tree and continue to the convenience store but something kept him still. When his feet moved again, he found himself walking towards the lone tree.

"I hate him." Yukine heard soft sniffles as he walked closer to the tree. The voice was slightly familiar but it was muffled with tears. It was late so he was surprised to find someone sitting alone. A part of him knew he should let the girl have her privacy but the night was dangerous. When he started to look around the tree to see her more clearly, she screamed. "Don't look at me!"

Yukine jumped back at her command. Because he was dead, people wouldn't notice him until he called attention to himself. Was she able to see him because she was a shinki as well? From the sound of her sobs, he knew that her owner should be able to feel her pain. The worst case scenario was that she had stung her master.

Yukine remembered when he stung Yato and the purification. Did she feel as lonely and hopeless as he did then? He couldn't leave her. Careful not to look at her, he took off his green jacket and threw it beside her. "Here. If you don't want me to see you cry, cover yourself with that. But I can't leave when an ayakashi can attack you."

"Don't be stupid. I'm not afraid of ayakashi." She told him. A silence fell over them, neither knowing if they should continue speaking. But after waiting she found that he never left, which confused her. While she sat facing the river, he sat against the tree staring at the road. The only sign that told Yukine that she hadn't left was her occasional sniffle. He knew that it was natural for her to feel uncomfortable to open up to a stranger but he still waited for her to speak. Finally, she did.

"He just threw me away. We're family but he left me for those two. I hate them, especially that boy! Why can't it be just us and Father again?" Her whisper turned into screams. Yukine couldn't imagine how he would feel if Yato released him and sympathized with her. But he couldn't let her be consumed by the negative feelings and become an akayashi. "I wish they'll just disappear and let us be a family again. They don't understand my brother like I do."

"If your brother cared about you, I'm sure that it hurt him to release you. He gave you a name and he wouldn't release you without a reason." Yukine didn't know how to comfort her so began to trail off. What could he say to someone that felt so abandoned?

But she went on before he could think of something to say to comfort him. "I did everything Father told me to bring him back but it only made him hate us more. He doesn't need us now that he replaced us with that new family."

"He might've found a new family but you shouldn't feel left behind. You still have your friends."

"... I don't have any friends. It's only been me and Father and Brother for as long as I can remember." She said after a moment and Yukine wanted to slap himself. How much more insensitive could he be? No wonder she was so crushed that her brother abandoned her.

Cautiously, he looked around the tree but she sat with the jacket over her body. Curled into a ball, she stayed silent. She must've been a small person if his jacket could cover her so easily. Taking a risk, he sat beside her. "Maybe I could be your first friend then. It's not often I get to meet another shinki."

She didn't accept or reject his offer. She merely sat beside him quietly. "I actually met another shinki here before. His name was Suzuha and he was taking care of this tree. He was the first friend I ever had but there wasn't anything I could do for him before he was killed by ayakashi. At this very spot, he died clinging to the memory of someone he loved. His family changed but I couldn't help him before it was too late. Maybe if we were able to help him sooner, he would still be alive now."

To his surprise, he felt a cool hand over his. While she didn't remove his jacket, she did reach out to him by placing her hand over his. It was small and almost looked fragile. Yukine blushed at her touch and he didn't know if she felt him tense but she laughed softly. "Your hands are warm."

For once he didn't know how to reply so fumbled with a retort. "Would you rather it be cold?"

"No," she answered softly. "It's nice. My father said that all we need is each other to survive so I never had a friend before. My name's-"

"Yukine!" He looked away from her for a moment when he heard someone call his name. He saw Hiyori and Yato run towards him after he called back to them. He stood to greet them as Hiyori stopped in front of him. "You were taking so long buying milk so we were getting worried."

"I kept telling her you were okay but she kept insisting on going to find you." Yato teased Hiyori. He ruffled Yukine's hair. "You've gotten really good at using your techniques so I knew you'll be okay even if you ran into an akayashi. Anyways Big Brother Yato will always come to save you if I sense you're in trouble."

"Who asked you to save me? I'm the one that always have to save you." Yukine turned up his nose up at Yato. Hiyori laughed lightly as she watched them. No matter how much Yukine acted like he didn't care, he would never push Yato away. She took her scarf and wrapped it around his neck.

"Where's your jacket? You're going to make yourself sick in this weather." She chastised him lightly.

"I just gave it to my friend. She-" When Yukine turned to face her, he was shocked to find that she had disappeared. He wondered where she went because he didn't hear her leave. Hiyori and Yato looked confused and told him they saw him sitting alone. But Yukine knew he didn't imagine the girl. He wondered if he would ever meet her again. Though he doubted he would recognize her if he did meet her again since she covered herself with his jacket and her voice was muffled.

"Let's go home, Yukine!" Yato threw an arm over his shoulder and led him away. As they walked, he lowered his voice so that only Yukine could hear him. "You okay? We started to look for you when my heart began to hurt. Then it got really warm and now I know why. Did my boy finally went and fell in love?"

"Of course not!" Yukine said quickly. His face turned scarlet and Yato grinned knowingly. "I'm not a pervert that falls in love easily like you. I just... I made a friend."

"Then I hope you introduce me to this friend one day. She has to give you back your jacket after all."

* * *

Nora gently petted the wolf akayashi on her lap. She made sure their claws didn't damage the green jacket she was wearing. It wasn't her intention to speak with Yukine that night but she hadn't stopped thinking of him since then. She knew that one conversation they had would be their only one since they were enemies. Still, the jacket was warm and she kept it.

 _Maybe I can be your first friend_ , his warm words echoed in her mind whenever she thought of him. But how can she be friend with the person responsible for breaking apart her family? Even when a part of her damned him in her mind, another part thought of his smile when he spoke with Yato.

Nora pulled his jacket tighter around herself. How would she act when they met again? It would only be a matter of time before her father called upon her to confront him. It was already hard enough to bring herself to fight her own brother but now she knew that Yukine was also gentle.

Only when she heard her father return did she take off the jacket. She knew that he wouldn't approve of her keeping the jacket so folded it and hid it under her futon. She left her room and greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome home, Father. I made dinner for us."

"You're such a good girl, Mizuchi." He patted her head. Nora sat across from him and began eating the simple dinner. "Did anyone call on you while I was gone? You look happier than usual. I know that you've been sad since Yato revoked your name."

Nora bit her lip, not knowing if she should tell him the truth. In the past, she would never hesitate to tell him. "... A friend. I-"

"You want another akayashi to play with?" He asked with a baffled smile. Nevertheless he took out his phantom brush and gestured it at her. "Show him to me and Father will make him be your friend."

Nora became silent and Fujisaki could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes. It was rare that she would show any emotion and he frowned at the sight. "You couldn't be thinking of becoming friends with someone. The gods care only for themselves and humans are hopeless creatures. Remember, Mizuchi, only your family care about you. Forget about making a friend."

"Yes, Father." Nora said as she looked down into her bowl. She knew that her purpose was to help Yato become a great God and bring down the gods that wronged her father. Her father rewarded her obedience with a smile but for the first time she found it lacking in warmth.

As she thought of the smile Yukine had, she found herself wondering if its warmth was what drew Yato away from their family.

* * *

"She's not here today either." Yukine muttered to himself as he stopped by the cherry blossom tree. Whenever he could, he would visit the tree to see if she had returned but he found himself disappointed again. A week had already passed and he wondered if he would ever meet her again. He couldn't help but remember hearing her cry and wished he could help her like he couldn't for Suzuha.

As he was about to leave, he noticed a package at the base of the tree. It was lumpy and wrapped crudely but it was addressed to him. Tearing of the paper, he was surprised to see that it was his green jacket. He knew instinctively that it was from the girl he met that night.

There was a note tucked into the fold of his jacket and he opened it. _Thank you_.

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 _Really I started shipping Yukine and Nora as a joke but I'm so far down the rabbit hole now. You know it's bad when I'm actually writing a fanfic for them but I really like how this turned out and this is only part one XD_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

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Gliding over the water, Nora skipped to the other side of the lake. She stopped in front of the sakura tree to admire its beauty. Nora doubted she could continue visiting the tree since she would risk meeting Yukine again. But she liked the tree and wouldn't change her life merely because he spoke to him once. If he knew who she was, would he still have been kind to her? She doubted he would.

A cluster of blossoms sat at the base of the tree and she wondered if Yukine left them in memory of his friend. A friend that she had helped killed. The flowers made her feel bitter suddenly and she began to tear off their petals. Even when they were scattered around her, she felt no satisfaction. She only felt an empty calm like when Yato or her father would use her to kill.

Sometimes it seem that was all she was capable of feeling but her father said it was for the best since she wouldn't be able to sting them.

Only when she looked up did she see the note taped to the tree. _Thank you for returning my jacket. My friend Kazuma told me that flowers would cheer you up. I hope you can talk with your brother and make up with him soon. -Yukine_

Nora took the note and read it over again. She didn't know how long she sat among the scattered petals and read the note. Her wolves persistently nudging her with its nose pulled her away from the note and she tucked it into her obi. She didn't know what compelled her to keep the note but she could almost feel the warmth from Yukine's hand when she held the letter.

She doubted that any of her other masters would call on her tonight so she wondered through the city. She did so often because the gods would only use her for tasks they couldn't burden their true shinki with. Usually, she would try to convince Yato to return to Father whenever she was free but she still hadn't decided how to act if she met Yukine again.

So, she decided to explore the city and cause mischief. A group of girls began to chatter loudly and she stopped to listen to them. They appeared happy but Nora didn't feel envious of them. In fact, she looked down on them. They would likely become puppets to the gods but, unlike her father, they wouldn't be able to fight back.

"I'm going to use this one!" One of the girls picked up one of the colourful stationary that was being sold. Nora rolled her eyes at the human's enthusiasm because she couldn't understand how simple paper could make her so happy. The other girls seemed excited by her choice though. The first girl had a wistful smile as she looked down at the paper. "Natsu wrote me that beautiful letter so I need to write an answer back."

"Write an answer back?" Nora touched the letter Yukine gave her.

* * *

"She actually wrote back?" Hiyori looked over Yukine's shoulder to read the note left on the tree. Yukine had been worried about the girl he met but he never had much time to look for her since Yato took so many jobs. Hiyori had been the one to suggest he write her a note to try to find her again and Kazuma told him to leave her flowers to keep her from being consumed by negative feelings.

 _Your welcome_ , was all the letter said but even so he was glad that he followed their advice. With it, he knew that she was still alive but he wondered where she was now. She didn't sign her name and that worried him. Without a name, she didn't have any way to protect herself. Even though he wanted to help her, there was little he could do since he didn't know who she was.

"Her handwriting is a little messy. Yours was too so do you think you're the same age? Yukine?" Hiyori pulled him out of his thoughts. He scratched his cheek in embarrassment from being caught up in a two word letter and she smiled. He had changed so much since Yato first gave him his name. "It's great that you're doing so much to help this girl."

"I couldn't really leave her there crying. She could've become an ayakashi and I wouldn't be fit to guide Yato if I let something like that happen." He said but she knew that his action stemmed from his kindness. "When I almost crossed that line, you and Yato saved me. I'm grateful for the both of you but she doesn't have anyone like that now. I can be that friend that saves her like you were for me."

Yukine's words touched her. She had watched Yato and Yukine help each other grow and was glad that she was able to help them as well. "When you write her back, you should ask her to meet you. I would love to meet her too so you should invite her to one of my lessons. I can make your favourite snacks too!"

"You're actually encouraging them?" Yato moaned and they looked up to find him sitting on a tree branch. At first, he had fun teasing Yukine for taking an interest in a girl but watching him now made him feel slightly abandoned. Dejectedly, he lowered himself from the tree. "You're growing up so fast, Yukine! It seems like only yesterday you were acting like a punk but now you have a girlfriend."

"I told you she's not my girlfriend and I was not a punk!" Yukine wondered how Yato could act so immature at times. "I'm just trying to help her. It's already hard enough without having to deal with your mood swings. If you want to become a god of fortune, you should be helping a variety of people."

"You could deny it but she wouldn't have written you this love letter if you two aren't dating." Yato tried to take the letter but Yukine already stuffed it into his pocket. Even though Yato teased him, he hoped the girl didn't end up like Suzuha. "If you're worried about her why not just have Bishamon give her a name? She has so many vessels and I'm sure she won't mind taking one more in."

"I'll talk to Kazuma about it but she sounded really upset about being abandoned by her brother so I don't know if she'll want to." Yukine thought back to what she said. "I'll write another letter to her."

* * *

Nora stared down at the stationary she stole but couldn't force words to appear onto the page. Groaning, she stretched out on the floor and took out his note again. It had become their ritual to trade letters. Hers were always short so she didn't know why he continued to write to her.

Why was _she_ even bothering to answer his letter? She could tell that he was still worried about her. Yato would no doubt be burdened by those feelings so maybe she could help lessen Yukine's worry by writing a reply. It was her duty as his sister to support Yato after all. With that in mind, she set ink to paper.

 _I took a walk around the city and the akayashi didn't bother me_. Nora was careful not to give him any hint of her true identity while she wrote. With each sentence, she wondered how he might reply. At the end of the letter, she paused because she couldn't bring herself to sign a name. She had been given many names but the one of importance had been revoked and he would know who she was if she wrote Nora.

"Are you home, Mizuchi?" She heard her father's voice. After quickly hiding the letter, she went out to greet him. Since he lived in the boy's dorm, it wasn't often that he would visit her casually as he was doing now. "I thought you had school, Father. You may be more intelligent than other humans but you need to attend your classes. The gods will suspect you if you don't act like a human."

"You don't need to worry about Father since he came up with the perfect plan." He patted her shoulder. She didn't know a time when he wasn't planning to revolt against the gods. The stories he told her about them convinced her that they deserved nothing more than to be forgotten. "Rather, I don't think we should abandon our plan to liberate Yukine just yet."

"But didn't it fail the first time we tried?" Nora asked. Through the process of liberation, she could show shinki their true name and past. Usually revealing a god's greatest secret would corrupt the shinki's with grief and turn them into an ayakashi. They intended to force Yato to release Yukine and once he turned into an ayakashi, Father could name him.

"I thought so at first too but a little bird told me that Bishamon just lost one of her shinki due to liberation. It seems like liberation doesn't take affect quickly enough to force Yato to release him. For him to resist the darkness for this long, he must be powerful. I can't wait to make him mine." Her father grinned. "We just need to find a way to quicken his liberation."

Nora knew that liberation was an excruciating and lonely process since it forced the shinki to relive their death and hardships as a human. She knew how painful those memories could be since her own father had told her the god's greatest secret. Her name was Mizuchi, in life and death.

The only reason she hadn't turned into an ayakashi was because of the blessing of her father. Everything he did to her was to make her strong enough to protect her family. Human feelings like grief and sadness only held her back and she needed to be strong. Father never once forgot to remind her of that fact. Without him, neither she nor Yato would still be alive.

"You said Bishamon lost another shinki? That woman can't seem to take care of her things." Nora tilted her head to the side but her own musing was interrupted when she remembered the solemn in Yukine's voice when he spoke of his friend. It wasn't Bishamon who broke them, it was Nora. She hadn't thought how their death would affect the god until now. "Did it hurt her?"

"Losing a shinki always hurt." He told her. "But it's probably more painful for the shinki, both mentally and physically. Remember, Mizuchi, you need to be strong and do as I say or else you'll know that pain."

"I understand but won't the liberation hurt Yato and Yukine? He is powerful and we need him to defeat the gods but-" Nora began to argue but stopped when her father threw a cold glare at her. She knew that glare would only come before a strike so she quickly corrected herself. "I just don't want to see Brother hurt."

"I know you care about Yato but I am your father so I won't tolerate you betraying me. The next time we face them, we'll force Yato to release him. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Nora answered but she couldn't help but think about the kind words Yukine offered her when he found her crying. His gentleness and warmth would be gone if he became an ayakashi.

* * *

Nora stood in front of the tree, her hands shaking. If she nailed her letter onto the tree, she would be going against her father. But if she ripped it, her brother and Yukine would be put in danger. The letter was the only possibility of warning him since he would trust the girl in the letter rather a stray. She held the letter against the tree but still couldn't bring herself to nail it onto the tree.

The letter crumpled in her hands as she debated with herself. Why was she so conflicted? It frustrated her that she couldn't make a decisive decision and she threw the letter on the ground.

" _Rend!_ " Nora barely turned quickly enough to see the attack. Yukine ran towards her with his hand raised to use another technique. There wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes as he glared at her with contempt. He stopped a few feet from her and when his gaze landed on the letter at her feet, he asked in a hard voice. "Did you do anything to the girl that wrote that letter?"

Nora laughed to herself quietly but Yukine took it as a response and clenched his teethes. She should be grateful that he didn't realize that she was the one that wrote the letter but the rejection clutched at her heart. "Why would I waste my time with that insignificant girl? But if you want to fight, I won't hold back like I did last time."

Yukine prepared to fight but was shocked when she actually turned away from him. She skipped onto the water and began to walk away. Her laugh seemed to mock him as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Are you really that eager to be defeated? Well, I don't want to play with you at the moment. Someone who throws their life away isn't deserving of being my brother's regalia."

Yukine watched her leave since he expected her to attack him if he turned away. He only let out the breath he was holding when she finally faded away in the distance. He bent down to pick up the letter and he hoped that Nora was telling the truth. He opened the letter and was surprised that it was longer than usual one.

 _Yukine, I overheard that these people were intending to hurt you and Yato. Please be careful. There's not much that I can do for you but if this letter keeps you safe, I'll consider us even for the jacket. Also Yukine, I like your name so take care not to lose it._

The only person that came to mind when he read the letter was Nora and her father. Did she know the content of the letter and that was why she was at the tree? If she did, why didn't she destroy the letter or hurt the girl?

* * *

 **I'm glad that I'm not the only one that ship Yukine and Nora (like all four of you XD) As much as I like this crack ship, this is a side project for me. And the airhead me actually finished this a while ago but never got around to editing it and posting it until now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

* * *

Nora gently tapped her heel on the fence she sat on as she watched the humans and ayakashi below. It was truly a wonder how unaware humans were of their situation. They were nothing but toys to the gods and food for ayakashi. She was once like them but now the gods and ayakashi were her tools. With them, she could take anything she wanted.

"Stop that man!" Someone screamed and she recognized the voice. It belonged to the dark haired girl that often accompanied her brother. She spotted Hiyori running after a man carrying a purse. It didn't take Nora long to realize that the man had stolen her purse. There was an ayakashi on the man's shoulder so Nora knew that the ayakashi would attack him if she caught the man.

If she didn't catch the man, she would lose her purse. If she did, she would have to fight the ayakashi. No matter what happened, there was no good outcome for her. But Nora felt no sympathy for her and leaned forward to watch her struggle. Why should she go out of her way for the girl? She fully expected Hiyori to fall behind the man.

Nora couldn't help but laugh when her spirit left her body and created a spectacle of confusion. Hiyori didn't seem to be aware of it since she continued to chase the man until she was close enough to tackle him and sent the ayakashi flying. The moment it was separated from the human, the ayakashi began to transform and turned on her.

"Now you've done it." Nora didn't know if she should laugh or snort at the girl's action. Did the girl want her lifeline to be cut so much that she would face an ayakashi? She knew of Hiyori's situation but thought she was only being a burden to Yato. Why was her brother so protective of the human when she only held him back? She could barely fight, let alone be of use to Yato.

Nora thought she would never be able to understand the spell the girl placed on her brother. So she watched the ayakashi stand over Hiyori and wondered how long the fight would last. Hopefully it would be long enough to entertain her. The two fought but it was clear that the two were on par with each other. "If I want something done, I must do it myself."

When the battle wasn't progressing the way she wanted it to, she clicked her tongue. She started to cast a spell to stop Hiyori's movement but stopped when she sensed someone rushing towards her. Nora stepped into the shadow to hide herself just as she saw Yato run to Hiyori's rescue. The ayakashi fell to Yukine quickly and she rolled her eyes. They always came to her rescue and she felt something close to jealousy.

"That was boring." Nora clicked her tongue and ignored the feeling stirring her stomach. It was only disappointment that she wasn't able to watch the human's life line be severed. The ayakashi below her began to growl but Nora held them back since she knew that they wouldn't be able to defeat Yato and Yukine.

Watching the trio, she never felt more like an outsider. She knew that she was one but she had never felt the pain like she did now. What did Yato have with them that he couldn't have with his own family? The only hint she had was the memory of Yukine's kindness when he found her crying. While it played on her mind, it wasn't enough to make her understand.

They walked away from her line of sight and Nora turned her attention to her pet ayakashi. She had intended to take them out on a walk so they could feed on humans but it would be dangerous for them to do so with Yato near. With a spell, she commanded them to return to her hut.

Nora didn't follow them because she had planned to visit the shops. Not wanting to cross path with Yato and Yukine, she chose the shop she went into carefully. She stole the pens and stationery on display without a second thought. With that simple task done, she started to return home. As she passed a bakery, she wondered if she could indulge herself a little.

The delicate scent of the bake goods drew her to the kitchen where she knew that she would find the most food. People were rushing around her but they didn't notice her as they went about their job. She took one of the cookies on the tray and hummed to herself when she tasted it. Even if they couldn't see her, she made sure to be discrete when she stole a bag of cookies.

"Thank you so much for fixing our oven, young man." Nora looked over her shoulder and almost dropped the cookie in her hand when she spotted Yato and Yukine speaking with the head chef. She knew that if they saw her, they would try to fight her. Her eyes darted around the room to find an escape. As she ran to the back door, a person carrying a large sack of flour crashed into her.

Nora swore under her breath and glared at the man that bumped into her. Panicking, she took the bag he was holding and threw it over herself. She could see through the thin bag slightly and ran out the door. Not wanting to see if Yukine saw her, she didn't look back as she ran. Her heart stopped when she heard Yukine call behind her. "Wait!"

She only ran faster when she heard his voice. Nora could hear him calling out to her but she continued to run. How long did he intend to chase her? If he was chasing her, it was obvious he saw her and wanted to fight. She pushed her way through the crowd, intent on reaching the river since she could use it to escape. She spotted the sakura tree in the distance and quickened her pace.

"Please wait, I just want to talk to you!" Nora made the mistake of turning back to see how close he was. She tripped over her own feet and stumbled down the hill. Yukine saw her fall and jumped forward to save her. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into the safety of his arms. They rolled down the hill but Nora didn't feel any pain since he protected her.

"Are you okay?" Yukine sat up when they stopped. He tried to see if she was hurt but she stubbornly clutched at the bag so it covered her body. Beneath it, Nora was blushing furiously and hated that he was able to see her as she was. No doubt she looked like a chicken without its head as she ran. She could only sit in her self loathing as he stood and brushed the dirt from his jacket.

"Here." Nora looked up to see him pull something out of his jacket and held it out to her. It was the stationary she had stolen. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out of the sack and felt his warm hand brush hers when she took it. "You dropped it while you were running out of the bakery. Are you the girl I spoke to before? That stationary has the same design as the one she uses for her letters."

She nodded and Yukine only had more questions for her. Why was she in the bakery? Why did she run when he called out to her? It shocked him when he saw a person covered by a bag stumble around the bakery. But when he saw the stationary, he knew that it was the girl he spoke to before.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, both of them not knowing how to start a conversation. Nora looked down at the stationary in her hands. It was so much easier to speak to him through a letter since she didn't have to feel his amber eyes watching her. They were beautiful but it felt as if they could see through her. "Can you not stare?"

"I'm sorry, that was rude of me." Yukine blushed and turned away. He hadn't been aware that he was staring at her but he found himself curious about what she looked like. "Why are you wearing that?"

"I have a scar on my face and I don't want you to see it." Nora thought of the lie quickly. She couldn't allow him to see her face. If he did, he wouldn't send her another letter. They had become important to her but she didn't know why. "Thank you for the flowers you gave me."

"I didn't know what kind you liked so I'm glad you like them." Yukine smiled but it didn't last long. "I should be the one thanking you for that warning you sent me. If you ever see those two again, you should run and hide because they're dangerous. That girl may look innocent but she's actually really strong. I fought her once and I barely won."

Nora bit her tongue as she remembered that fight. If her father hadn't stopped her, she would've killed him and the thought made her heart tightened. She hated him then but now she was having a conversation with him. "I saw you and Yato fighting that ayakashi earlier. You seem close to that girl you saved. What is she to you?"

"Hiyori? Well she's…" Nora studied his face as he answered and hated the jealousy she felt. "I guess she's like a sister to me. I admire her for how strong she is. No matter what we drag her through, she stays by our side and I don't know why. I'm grateful for everything she has done for me and Yato. So I want to become stronger to protect good people like her."

"Protect people?" Nora repeated. Her brother told her that he wanted to become a god of fortune but she had always scoffed at the thought. Father had told her that it would be easier for them to survive by bringing calamity since they would stay longer in human's memories. "What's the point of helping people when they forget those small moments of kindness so easily?"

"But you remembered the flowers I gave you. I don't think you're giving people enough credit by saying that. Sure, some are jerks but not all of them. I was pretty bad myself but look at me now." The grin on his face her heart stopped in reaction. How could he be so confident? She had seen so much cruelty in her life and her father taught her that she could only rely on her family.

"Can a small gesture really stay in a person's mind?" She challenged him. Nora took a cookie from her bag and held it out to him. "If I give you this, it won't change how you feel about me much."

Nora was confused when he suddenly burst out in laughter. He tried to stifle his laugh when she asked why he was laughing. "I'm sorry. It's just that your hand's all white. You're probably covered with flour under there, aren't you? I just imagine it and laughed. Here, I should have a napkin in my pocket."

Nora stiffened when he lifted the bag before she could stop him. She was glad the flour masked the names on her body and he only lifted the bag enough to see part of her face. She started to push his hands away but stopped when she felt him gently wipe the flour off her cheek. "You look like a ghost."

"That's enough." Nora pulled away from him and readjusted the bag around her. Her heart was beating fast and she placed her hand over it to slow it. "Don't tease me when I was trying to be nice. Really, I can never predict what you're about to do sometimes."

"I'm sorry. I should've remembered that you didn't want me to see your scar. Take my napkin," He held it out to her and she took it. Nora could see from his expression that he felt guilty and decided that she enjoyed his smile more than that expression.

"It's okay, Yukine."

"You know, it's kinda awkward that I don't have a name to call you. What did your last master call you? I know, how about we come up with a name for you?"

"My own name?" Nora looked at her arms and thought of all the names hidden under the flour. Not one was important enough to mention and she couldn't imagine Yukine calling her any one of them. Many shinki valued their name but she didn't. But looking at Yukine's expectant eyes, she felt compelled to answer him. "I really like the name Hiirone."

"Hiirone," He repeated with a soft smile and she liked the way it sounded on his lips. Another voice echoed in her head and she stood quickly. She could sense her father calling her and she knew she had to leave or else he'll find her talking to Yukine.

"I really need to go." Yukine didn't know why she wanted to leave so suddenly. He was disappointed because he wanted to speak with her more but he could hear the urgency in her voice.

"How about I take you to wherever you need to go? I can protect you if we run into an ayakashi." He offered but she shook her head and continued to rush away from him. "Wait, will I ever see you again?"

She stopped and turned to face him. Nora only lifted the sack enough for him to see her smile. "I'm glad we talked today. I'll write you another letter so you better reply to it. Goodbye, Yukine."

* * *

 **It was so hard for me to decide the name Nora would give herself but I really wanted it to have Yato's family name of "ne". Hiirone was the first name to come to mind since it included the name Yato gave her but I didn't like the meaning of it (scarlet sound) since it didn't really reflect Nora's character. Other names I thought of were: Akane (deep red), Kokone (sound of the heart), Renne (Water lily/Rebirth), Shione (Sound of the tide). It was between Hiirone and Renne but I went with Hiirone.**

 **I'm having a ball writing this and I glad to see that other people ship them because I thought I was the only one.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

* * *

"It's not like you to go anywhere without your wolves. You know that I expect you to keep them close for your own protection. Their duty is to watch over you and report to me. That's why I gave them to you." Nora could only continue to pet her wolves as her father chastised her. "Why did you send them away?"

"I saw that a god was nearby and I was worried about their safety." Nora told him honestly though she knew that was the extent she could be honest. Her wolves licked her hand as she fed them so she knew that they wouldn't tell him the truth. "I thought I would be okay alone since I can defend myself well enough. I didn't think it would take so long."

"It's okay, Mizuchi." Her father seemed satisfied with her answer and patted her head. He snatched one of her cookies and teasingly bit into it. In reaction, she rolled her eyes since he was always acting childishly. When he sat down, there was no hint of that in his eyes. "We don't know when Yukine's name will be broken so I need you close in case we have to fight."

"I understand that but I don't think he's close to being liberated yet." Nora thought back to the kind smile he had when they spoke only a moment before. There wasn't a hint of pain and torment a shinki would feel if there were close to being liberated. "I have better things to do then wait for your plan to pan out. When it does happen, you can call upon me easily."

"You're right on both points. That's my bright Mizuchi, being able to predict what I wanted to say." Her father clapped. "Even if Yukine isn't close to being liberated, there are things we can do while we wait. Our Yato has found himself some powerful friends and they might get in the way when we try to capture Yukine. We need to find a way to stop them."

"I don't think any of them can cause us any trouble. Kofuku is a god of poverty and only cause more trouble for herself. Ebisu is only a child now. That Bishmonten is strong but-"

"It's not good to underestimate our opponents, Mizuchi. If there's even a small chance of them getting in our way, we must dispose of them." He crushed a cookie and dropped the crumbs on the ground for the wolves to eat. "He only needs three shinki to form a prison to contain Yukine and cleanse him. They have done so before. We cannot allow that to happen or else everything we worked for would be for naught."

"I understand so what would you suggest we do? You wouldn't bring this up unless you already thought of a way to deal with them." Nora wasn't a fool and she knew her father well. He grinned at her knowingly and began to explain his plan to her. Her mind was elsewhere though. Could she really help her father with his plan now that it hurt both Yukine and Yato?

* * *

"What are you doing hiding here? This is private property." Nora jumped a little and pulled her hood over her face more. She fashioned the large flour sack into a cloak so she could speak with Yukine as Hiirone without being recognized. But the man staring at her wasn't Yukine.

"Hey, Kazuma, you're supposed to be training me!" Yukine ran up to them and his eyes fell onto her. It took him a moment to recognize her but when he did, he smiled at her. The fact that she was watching them in the shadow of the trees should've made him suspicious but he didn't seem to be. "Is that you Hiirone? If you were here, you should've just greeted us."

"I thought there was an ayakashi nearby so I hid." Nora lied. Her explanation seemed to be enough for Yukine but Kazuma still studied her with distrust. His sharps eyes were as Kugaha described and she knew that was what made him Bishamon's most trusted Shinki. If her father's plan were to succeed, they needed to cut any ties the shinki had to Yato.

"Now that we're here, you don't need to worry about ayakashi. We'll protect you. Actually, Kazuma and I are both blessed vessels so there's no chance that they'll be able to hurt you. Though Kazuma is much more powerful than I am." From the way he spoke of Kazuma, Nora knew that Yukine respected him. "But I'm training hard so I can be powerful enough to help Yato. Come and watch us."

Yukine took her hand and pulled her out of the shrubbery she sat in. At first she was hesitant to follow him since Yato would likely be watching their training. If he saw her, he would be able to recognize her easily. "Are you sure your god would want someone like me to join you? I have never been fond of gods and they aren't fond of me. You can't trust someone that won't even show their own face, after all."

"It would be easier for me if Yato actually had enough sense to think like that. But everyone has their scars and no one here would shame you for yours. Actually, Kazuma's god often takes in spirits that have been attacked by ayakashi." Yukine tried to reassure her. "If you're really worried about Yato, you don't need to be. Yato is taking Ebisu out to eat so they won't be back for a while."

"Then I have no reason to hold back." Nora followed them. It was a good chance to see how strong they two were. She fought Yukine before but it would be good to know how his raw power would compete with Kazuma's experience. She sat on the steps in front of Tenjin's shrine and it felt strange to be able to watch them so openly. "Are you going to practise your spells on each other?"

"Yeah." Kazuma began to explain as he drew a line in the dirt. They stood on opposite sides of the line and both were an equal distance from it. "The goal is to reach that line before the other does. Each round, we can either bind the other and take a step or counter. The key is to predict your opponent's next move. Now let's get started, Yukine."

Before they could start, Nora spoke up. "This seems to be a pointless exercise. A little game like this won't teach anyone how to properly fight. The enemy won't wait their turn before they attack. When I first learned how to fight, Father would make me walk through an ayakashi nest. That trained me both mentally and physically better than any game could."

At first, Yukine was shocked that she would speak so openly against Kazuma but it turned to confusion. She didn't sound sad or bitter. Rather, she stated it like a fact. He didn't know what to say in reply so looked to Kazuma for help. He adjusted his glasses and she could that his eyes were serious. "There is no need to go to such extreme for training. I would never put Yukine through that. Would you?"

Was it an unreasonable extreme? Nora didn't know and thought back to when her father would teach her different skills. At first she was afraid but learned that she needed to endure it to survive. Still confused about their training method, she watched the pair.

Kazuma was able to predict Yukine's movements easily and she knew that his role as Bishamon's most trusted shinki was well earned. It confused her when Yukine's counter would fail against Kazuma's bind even though Yukine's technique seemed to be faster. Her sharp eyes saw that Yukine's form was stiff while Kazuma seemed more relaxed. The power imbalance was obvious.

"You should be able to counter him, Yukine." She muttered to herself but Yukine heard her. Suddenly his eyes were on her and she blushed since his eyes compelled her to say more. "You're a blessed regalia like him so you're just as strong. I saw you protect your friend from that ayakashi and you were really strong. So there should be no reason you can't counter his bind."

Yukine wondered if her face was as hot as his felt. She fumbled with her hood and he could only see her blushing cheeks slightly. Feeling more confident, he faced Kazuma again and prepared to counter him again. At first he failed and looked back to Hiirone who folded her hands as if she was praying. If she believed in him, he wanted to counter Kazuma once for her.

The next time he tried to bind him, he succeeded and Yukine was the most surprised out of the three. Nora couldn't stop herself from jumping to her feet and clapping. "You did it! I- I mean… I knew you could do it so this wasn't much of a surprise. Don't let this make you cocky, Yukine. You haven't won yet but if you keep this up you can win this silly game."

"Don't worry, I'll win this!" Yukine grinned at her and she felt her heart tightened.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe I lost in the end." Yukine groaned. He and Nora sat next to each other in front of the sakura tree. After his training finished, he invited her to eat ice cream with him. "But I guess that we should expect since he's so strong. One day, I'm going to be as strong as him."

"I still stand by the fact that you're stronger than him." Nora stated. Usually she didn't enjoy cold treats but she found herself enjoying the Popsicle Yukine bought her. The atmosphere around them was peaceful and Nora wondered how long she would be able to stay next to him today. "The only thing holding you back is yourself. Believe in yourself next time."

"I'll try. And the next time you watch me train, I'll be able to beat him." He promised her and held out his pinky to her. At first she was confused and he had to take her hand. He wrapped his pinky around hers. "This is a pinky promise. I just wished that I was able to beat him in a few more rounds since you were cheering for me so much."

"I wasn't that loud, was I?" Nora thought back and knew that she lost herself at times. Why did she? She didn't understand why but Yukine had a strange effect on her to the point she didn't understand her own actions. He chuckled and she found herself laughing along with him. "I embarrassed myself, didn't I?"

"I don't think so. If anyone embarrassed themselves, it would be me. But I'm really glad that you were there, actually. It was fun but I'm kinda tired now." He was surprised when she pulled at sleeve. She patted her lap and he blushed at the implication. "You want me to lie on your lap?"

"I'm trying to be nice and offer you my lap to rest so you don't need to say it like that." Nora blushed and didn't understand why she made the offer. Her wolves always rested their heads on her lap when they were tired. They seemed to enjoy it. "But if you really don't want to, just forget that I offered."

"Is it really okay?" Yukine asked and she nodded. He made sure to finish his Popsicle so it would drip onto his lap. He hesitated a moment before lying down. "Hey, I won a free ice cream!"

He showed her the stick but she looked confused. She looked at her own stick but it was blank. "You don't know about the promotion? If you finish your ice cream and it was a crown on the stick, you win a free ice cream. All you need to do is go to the store and trade the stick for the ice cream."

"So that means I lost." She pouted. "Well, it doesn't matter."

"Here," Yukine said and held out his stick to her. "You can have mine. I live with a guy that owns a shop so I can get ice cream whenever I want."

Nora took it and slipped it into her sleeve. She made sure to adjust her hood so that he wouldn't be able to see her face when he looked up at her. When he saw that gesture, he reached up and gently placed his hand on her head. "Thanks for letting me borrow your lap. Hopefully one day you'll trust me enough to show me your face."

"But-"

"Look, I already said that I don't care if you have a scar so you don't need to worry about it. Sure you have a sharp tongue but I don't think that you're cruel. You warned me about those two and it's really fun being with you." He grinned up at her but it made her feel guilty. He wouldn't be able to say that so confidently if he knew who she really was.

"Maybe one day, I'll be able to." Nora lied and she wondered if he believed her words. "You said that you were tired so close your eyes and rest."

They stayed like that in silence for a while. She ran her hand through his hair and it felt different from her wolves' fur. His was soft and warm. Nora wanted to slow time to steal a few more moments with him but knew that it was pointless because in the end, they couldn't be together. Her father plan needed him to turn into an ayakashi to control him.

Nora's eyes drifted to his name. It had a crack so small that one would only see it if they were looking for it. Once the name was broken, he would see the god's greatest secret. He would turn into an ayakashi and they wouldn't be able to share moments like these anymore.

She ran her hand through his hand once more and wondered what she should do. She whispered a soft song to make him sleep longer to steal more time with him.

* * *

"It's time to wake up." Yukine thought he heard Hiirone's voice waking him but when he sat up, he couldn't see her. The sun was setting and he wondered how long he had been sleeping. There was a pile of Sakura blossoms where she sat and he knew that she put them there to cushion his head. He stood and called her name but no one answered him.

"Where did you go?" He asked no one in particular. Yukine put his hand in his pocket and was shocked when he felt something in one. He pulled it out and saw that it was a letter. "I hope we meet again soon."

* * *

 **Finished all of my mep parts so I can work on this again.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

* * *

Nora ran to the Sakura tree, feeling both hopeful and nervous. Every Saturday morning, Yukine would leave his letter on the tree before he left with Yato to grant wishes. She wanted to read his letter as soon as she could. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to speak to him since Yato would be with him. But if she was careful, she would be able to see him briefly. That was enough for her even if they couldn't talk.

His letter wasn't attached to the tree so she knew that he hadn't come yet. Nora scanned the area for a place to hide and wait for his letter. But no matter where she hid, she knew her brother could easily sense her. It was always on her mind that her façade could end easily so why was she risking it all for a glance?

"Pardon me, are you Hiirone?" Someone called out to her and Nora turned sharply. She pulled her hood tighter around her face but felt her nervousness ebbed away to anger when she saw who addressed her. "My name's Hiyori."

Nora didn't respond to her. Hiyori appeared to be alone and Nora wondered why she was even bothering to speak with her. She had hoped to see Yukine so why did she appear? Nora's hands tightened into fists since she represented everything Yato left their family for. It would be an easy task to kill her now that she didn't have Yato or Yukine to protect her.

"I have no business with you." Nora turned on her heel. While the shadow of her hood hid her glare, nothing could hide the coldness in her voice. Because of that, she was surprised when Hiyori rushed to stop her from leaving. She ran into her path and held out an envelope to her. Nora immediately recognized Yukine's writing and stopped.

"I'm a friend of Yukine. He asked me to give you this letter since he won't be able to stop by today." Hiyori explained as Nora took the letter from her. But she continued to stare expectantly at her and Nora didn't understand what the woman wanted from her. "He told me that you're a little weary of people but I hope we can be friends."

"I don't know if that would be for the best." Nora answered vaguely because she knew she couldn't tell Hiyori her true feelings. She only came for the letter so she saw no reason to continue to speak with her. The only thing left was to end the conversation politely, even though Nora hated to speak so with someone she hated. "I need to go but please thank Yukine for me."

"Are you going already? I actually wanted to talk with you a little more." Hiyori stopped her again which frustrated Nora. Then she gestured for her to open the letter. Thinking that it was the quickest way to rid herself of the woman, Nora opened the letter in front of Hiyori. Aside from the letter, there was also a flyer for a festival.

"The summer festival is coming up and Yukine said he wanted to invite you to come with us. Do you have a yukata to wear? If not, we can go shopping to buy one for you." Hiyori offered and Nora fully intended to refuse. Before she could, Hiyori took her hand and pulled her away. "I don't have school today so we can go shopping right now! I'll help you pick one."

"Wait!" Nora tried to stop her but she couldn't think of a way to shake her off without being too forceful. She could only struggle to keep her cloak in place as she was dragged behind Hiyori. She didn't seem to notice Nora's discomfort as she told her about the festival.

"I know this place that has a lot of cute yukata. Just pick one and I'll buy it for you." They stopped in front of a shop that sold traditional clothes. Hiyori pulled her inside and began to browse through the shop. The yukatas on display were beautiful but Nora was focused on thinking of an excuse to leave. What compelled Hiyori to spend her day with a person she barely knew?

"What colour do you like better?" Hiyori asked as she held up two designs to compare.

"Why are you doing this?" Nora answered Hiyori's question with her own. "You barely know me so you don't need to buy me anything. I don't want to be indebted to you."

"This is a gift so you don't need to repay me." Hiyori told her simply. "I guess I just wanted to thank you. Your letters really makes Yukine happy and I'm glad that he has a friend his age. After Suzuha, he never had the chance to meet anyone his own age. So, I want to help you two as much as I can. Now pick out whichever design you like."

At Hiyori's prompting, Nora looked at the yukatas on display. She had never worn anything of such high quality, let alone been given one as a gift. Everything she wore was either something she stole or made herself. Hesitantly, she picked up a white yukata with a Sakura blossom design. "Are you sure you want to do this for me? We're not even friends."

"But we can become friends so it's okay." Hiyori said as she took down the yukata. "I'll get a worker to help you try it on. I'll hold your cloak while you change."

"No!" Nora said quickly and Hiyori gave her a confused look. She rushed to explain as she threw the yukata back on the stand. "I don't want to take off my cloak for anyone. I have a scar. My cloak will cover the yukata so it's pointless to wear one even if I wanted to. I'll go to the festival but there's no need for me to dress up for the occasion."

Nora didn't know how she had been so caught up in shopping that she almost forgot that she couldn't meet Yukine without wearing the cloak. She was frustrated at herself and the situation so the look of pity Hiyori gave her irritated her. If Hiyori knew who she was, she would certainly tell Yukine.

"I'm sorry," Hiyori apologized. The honest regret stopped Nora from snapping at her again. "Dressing up in a yukata with my friends was always fun for me so I wanted you to experience it too. If only…"

An idea came to Hiyori and she grinned. She ran to the display case of masks and took down the kitsune mask with a triumphant expression. "You can wear this mask with your yukata! Now you don't have to worry about people seeing your scar. Try them on so we can make sure they fit."

Hiyori instructed as she placed the yukata and mask in Nora's arm. With a gentle nudge, she ushered Nora to the changing room. "Just change while I get a worker to help us."

"Hiyori," Nora started but only continued after a moment of hesitation. "Thank you. You're different from what I expected."

* * *

"How do I look?" Nora asked her wolves as she held the yukata against her body. She looked at her reflection in the lake and smiled. It was almost midnight but the moonlight allowed her to see clearly enough. There was a strange flutter in her stomach but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. She had worn other kimonos before but they never made her as happy as the simple yukata she was holding.

In the lake's reflection, she imagined Yukine's reaction. Would he call her beautiful? The festival wasn't for another week but she found herself looking forward to it. In the past, she would only go to festivals to cause calamity so this was her first opportunity to enjoy the festivities.

"I wonder what kind of games they'll have there." Nora asked herself as she folded the yukata with care. She placed it beside her and pulled out the letter Yukine sent her. Night was the only time she could read his letter without worry. Her father wouldn't visit her so late.

The world seemed peaceful as she read it since her focus was entirely on the letter. The only sound she heard was the splashing water as she kicked her feet through the water. It was her habit to play with the water and try to distort the reflection of the moon.

Her thoughts were only disturbed when someone sat next to her. Their feet caused a large splash and she quickly lifted the letter so it wouldn't become wet. She instinctively thought that it was her father and rushed to hide the letter. "Father, don't you know not to-"

Nora's words were stifled by her surprise when she saw that it wasn't her father that sat next to her. "You never got rid of this habit, have you? I keep telling you that you'll get sick."

"Yato!" Nora quickly stood with a hopeful smile. "You're home. I knew you'd come back eventually. I'll call father and you can make us something to eat. It's been so long since we had dinner together so you better make all my favourites to make up for it."

"Sit down, Nora." Yato's voice was cold and she didn't know what it could mean. If he came to her hut willingly, it must mean that he wanted to be a family again. He made no move to follow her so she was force to relent to his order and sat down. She placed her feet in the water and kicked the water as she often would to disturb the reflection of the moon.

"You're not here to stay, are you?" Nora asked even though she already knew the answer.

"I'm not. I'm here to tell you to stop writing to Yukine." Yato pulled out a letter from his pocket. "I'd recognize your messy handwriting anywhere. I don't know what you and Father are planning but I won't let you play with Yukine's feelings like this."

"How dare you read my letters?" Nora screamed.

"I'm a god and I'll do whatever I need to do to protect my family. You can hate me for leaving but don't you dare blame them. I ran away from Father long before I found them, after all. I just came here to tell you that." Yato stood to leave but Nora was oddly quiet. He expected her to argue with him. Instead, her voice was uncertain as she asked.

"Have you told Yukine that I'm the one writing the letters?"

"No. He became attached to you or at least the person he thinks you are. I can't tell him the truth without hurting him. But if you continue deceiving him, I'll be forced to. For once, think of how you're hurting others. If you ever considered me your brother or cared about me, you'll let me be happy."

"You can be happy with me and Father. We were just as much of a family as you and Yukine are now! No matter what, we won't abandon you and only want to help you. If you want, Yukine can become a part of our family. Father will accept him. Everyone will be happy if you just come back."

"Don't you ever get tired of pretending that we were a happy family? You should know that we were nothing but tools for Father's revenge. I don't know what Father is planning to do with Yukine but I'll never let him use him like he did us. That kid has been abused enough."

 _The god's greatest secret_ , Nora knew that Yato could only be referring to Yukine's human life. How painful could it have been to cause Yato's eyes to fill with such pity? If it caused Yato, who had seen the worst of humanity, to flinch then the memories could break Yukine. Her stomach dropped since she knew she was the reason he would experience that pain again.

For the first time in her life, she felt regret. But there was nothing she could do to right her mistake.

Nora couldn't respond when Yato told her with finality. "If you try to continue this façade, I'll tell Yukine the truth."

* * *

 **The first chapter without Yukine. I originally wrote it so that he went shopping with them but rewrote it. Nora had interested me ever since I read the chapter with Sakura. I always thought Nora was a foil to Yato. They were both brainwashed by their Father but Yato was able to break away thanks to Sakura's influence.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

* * *

Yukine sighed as he watched people walk past him. He was waiting for Hiirone in front of the festival but it was becoming obvious to him that she wouldn't come. His letter told her to meet him in front of the gate at seven but it was almost nine now. Had something happen to her? She hadn't sent him another letter since the day she watched him train.

"She's still not here yet?" Hiyori's question was only answered with a sigh. He had told her that he wanted to wait for Hiirone to come before he enjoyed the festival so she should go ahead with Yato. The disappointment on his face was obvious so she tried to lift his spirit. "She looked really excited when we were shopping so she'll come for sure."

"Hiyori! Yukine!" Yato bounded towards them, his arms overflowing with snacks. His eyes glowed like a child's as he forced a bucket of candy into Yukine's hands. "Come enjoy the festival with us. Maybe your friend decided she couldn't come but that doesn't mean you can't have fun. There are still a lot of things we can do together."

"I still want to wait a little longer. If she doesn't come in few minutes, I'll join you." Yukine compromised though he wasn't entirely happy with the situation. Where was she? He looked down at the flowers he intended to give Hiirone but their colours appeared dull now. He knew that he couldn't let his feelings become a burden to Yato so smiled at him. "I'll catch up in a little bit."

"Just remember that you'll always have us so don't look so sad." Yato reminded him as he playfully ruffled his hair. Yukine watched them enter the festival again and he was left alone. He knew he couldn't wait forever and he looked sadly at the flowers in his hand.

Yukine walked to a bench and gently laid down the flowers. They weren't extravagant, just a handful of choice flowers from Kofuku's garden, but they could make someone happy even if it wasn't the person he intended to give them to. As he was placing them down, a pair of sandals entered his vision.

"You shouldn't just leave them here. Someone might sit on them." He recognized the voice as Hiirone's. She took the flowers and tucked them into her obi. "I'm sorry, I'm late."

"You're here now so it's okay. I'm just glad that nothing happened to you. C'mon, let's go." He took her hand and led her into the festival. She was wearing a mask so he wondered what kind of expression she was making. Though she followed him, her grip on his hand was weak and uncertain so he tried to make her smile. "Your yukata's really pretty."

"It was a gift from Hiyori." Nora answered him and felt herself blush. For the past week, she had been conflicted between going to the festival and following Yato's order.

In the end, she found herself standing in front of Yukine. If she was the reason his name would be broken, she would try to make him happy before then. It was the only thing she could do in return for all the stolen moments of peace he gave her. She couldn't go against her father nor stop Yukine's liberation.

Without a word, he took her hand and pulled her into the festival. Nobody gave them any attention so it was like entering a bright haven only they shared. There were so many stalls that she didn't know which one to approach first. "I've never been to a festival before."

"You haven't? Then you need to try goldfish scooping!"

Yukine pointed to a stall where small children were gathered. Nora tilted her head, wondering why they were so interested in a small basin full of goldfishes. He explained the rules to her after he bought her a paper scooper and bowl. "We use the scooper to put the goldfish into this bowl. If we win, we'll keep the goldfish. We can keep trying until the scooper is broken."

"That seems simple enough." Nora said. Her eyes tracked the goldfishes, looking for the largest one among the group. Even if the scooper was paper and broke easily, she would be fast enough to catch a fish. She waited until it swam into a corner and tried to capture it. She grinned to herself as she tried to transfer it into her bowl. It promptly jumped out of her scooper and splashed her.

Next to her, Yukine laughed but offered her a napkin to dry herself. She let out a frustrated breath but was determined not to fail in front of him. Turning her focus back on the goldfish, she chased it with her scooper. But she only seemed to be able get her clothes wet. "This is silly! Why won't that stupid goldfish just let me catch him? This would be easier if I could bind it."

"But you wouldn't be that satisfied if you won only by cheating, would you? Here, let me help." Yukine moved behind her and took her hand in his. She could feel his breath against her ear and she wondered if he knew that she was blushing. "You want that big one, right? You're too aggressive and that'll cause it to panic. Fast and gentle."

Yukine guided her hand. He could feel her hand shake slightly in his and he realized how close they were. Together, they caught the fish and gracefully slid it into the bowl. "We did it! Thank you, Yukine."

The stall owner placed the goldfish in a plastic bag from them and Nora lifted it closer to her face. Its golden colour reminded her of Yukine's eyes. Grateful, she thanked Yukine again. "Are there any other games? I want to win something for you in exchange for your help."

"You really don't need to. I helped you because I wanted to. Anyways, I promised Yato that I would meet him soon so he'll worry if we don't go find him now." Yukine started to insist but she was already wandering to the other stalls. Even the basics games seem to interest her and he couldn't help but be caught up in her excitement.

Nora's eyes landed on a large stuffed bear. The game looked simple enough so she rummaged through her purse for money. She didn't want to rely on Yukine so she brought her own money to use. The stale owner explained. "Here's a slingshot, little lady. You need to knock over these bottles to win a prize."

"How much for that bear?" She asked.

"You need to break three of the bottles on the last row."

"I don't even need a slingshot to do that." Nora grinned. When she was younger, she would throw rocks at birds when hunting. Yukine wondered if she would be able to break the glass bottles but she seemed confident. He was barely able to track the stones when she threw them in rapid succession. The bottles shattered and Nora impatiently gestured to the bear.

"I broke the bottles so I want that one." The man was too shock to react quickly enough so Nora snapped her fingers to gain his attention. She took the bear he handed to her and ran to Yukine. "This is for you! I might not be that good at catching fish but I can still win these simple games. Take it."

"That's a rare stuffed Capyper. Are you sure you want me to have it?" Yukine took it from her and she smiled proudly. He didn't know if he should tell her that Yato already had a much larger one in their room since she looked so happy.

"I don't know what a Capyper is and it just looks like a bear to me." Nora shrugged.

"Yato loves Capyper. He's a giant kid most of the time. I remember when we went to Capyper Land. It was tiring trying to keep up with him." Yukine thought back on the day with a smile. Nora chuckled to herself when he told her about Yato's antics since she could easily imagine him doing so. "But it was fun. If we ever get the chance to, I'd like for you to come with us."

"I would like that too." Nora said but Yukine could hear a tinge of sadness in her voice. She didn't know when his name would be broken so it was best not to make promises she couldn't keep. The only thing she could do was try to make him happy before he learned the truth. "I want to play another game right now so tell me which one is fun."

"Okay," Yukine laughed and they walked through the festival.

* * *

"I want to play that one next!" Nora pointed to the ladder game. She was already running to it while Yukine was struggling to follow her. Behind him, he was dragging a wagon full of prizes they had won together. She seemed to be determined to win every prize they come across. Even though it was tiring chasing her, he found himself smiling.

"Watch me, Yukine!" She ordered as she stood at the base of the ladder. Her energy reminded him of Yato as she jumped onto the ladder. While many people struggled to balance on the ladder, she skipped up the bars. Just as she stepped on the last bar, the ladder snapped.

"Hiirone!" Even though there were cushions to catch her, Yukine instinctively ran to save her. He caught her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He didn't know what caused the ladder to break but he was glad that she didn't appear to be hurt. "Thank God, I caught you in time. Are you okay?"

"I'm okay so you can put me down." Yukine blushed at her words and lowered her to the ground. Honestly, she would've liked to stay in his arms but she didn't want him to feel how fast her heart was beating. Even after the rush of falling, the warmth of his arms made her feel safe. She looked at the ladder and huffed, "Why did that ladder have to break just when I was about to win?"

Unfortunately, she was answered by a loud cheer. A couple operating a stall not too far from them waved to Yukine. He seemed to know them for he smiled and waved back. She recognized the pair since they would often help Yato. Why would a god of misfortune be running a stall at the festival?

"Hey, Daikoku. I thought you two weren't going to come." Yukine said to them. Daikoku knew the disaster his lady could cause very well so would often try to keep her away from crowds. But she insisted that they sell cotton candy at the festival. Like so many other times, he couldn't bring himself to deny her anything when she pouted at him.

"Are you on a date? This must be the girl you keep telling us about." Kofuku squealed and leaned over the stall so she could look closer at Hiirone. Nora quickly stepped behind Yukine, not wanting the god to cause her any misfortune. On the other hand, he blushed and quickly tried to hide his shyness.

"You two are reading too much into this. Hiirone and I are just friends!" Yukine insisted with a blush. She didn't know why, but his words made Nora sad. Kofuku still smiled knowingly as she leaned back.

"How about I give you two some free cotton candy to celebrate the occasion?" She offered. She twirled a stick in the cotton candy machine but it soon began to overflow. Panicked, she tried to salvage the candy and stuff them into a bag.

Eventually the machine stopped and they were left staring at the now broken machine. Kofuku was the first regain her composure and she held out the cotton candy to Yukine. "Here you go! This should be enough for the both of you. It's a shame that the machine broke but this means Daikoku and I can go on our own date after we clean this up."

Nora watched the pair and could tell that the two were close. Her shinki sighed heavily but she still smiled at him. As she and Yukine walked away, she couldn't help but think about how happy the two looked. "You have very strange friends, Yukine."

"They might be a little overwhelming but they're really kind. They let me and Yato stay even though we don't have the money pay rent." Yukine defended as he ate the candy. He offered her some but she shook her head. She couldn't take off her mask to eat so he quickly tried to change the topic. "The fireworks will start soon so we should find a good place to watch them."

"I know the perfect place to watch!"

* * *

"I couldn't go to festivals but I like to watch the fireworks from afar. Not many people know about this place so it won't be crowded." Nora explained as she guided Yukine to the riverbank not too far from the festival. "We can see them clearly from that bridge."

She stopped at the edge of the river and dipped her hand in the water. Yukine wondered what she was going to do when she took the goldfish from their wagon. Gently, she placed the goldfish into the water. "There you go. You can swim free now."

"Why are you letting it go?" Yukine asked as he knelt next to her.

"Father doesn't allow me to have pets he doesn't approve of so I can't take him home. You'll be too busy helping Yato to take care of it properly. It'll be better to let it live free." Nora explained and Yukine could hear the sadness in her voice. "I would like to keep him. He's a really pretty colour like your eyes."

"You think my eyes are pretty?" Yukine blushed and scratch his nose. She hadn't realized she said it and blushed as well. Nora couldn't take back the words so nodded. He stood and held out his hand to her. He changed the topic. "Come on, the fireworks are going to start soon."

Nora took has hand and he helped her to her feet. They sat beside each other on the edge of the bridge and stared up at the sky. She dipped her feet in the water and stole a glance at his profile. "Thank you for inviting me out today. It's been a lot of fun so far. At first I didn't know if I should come because-"

A loud crash cut her off and she looked up, expecting the fireworks to have started. Instead, a shadow loomed over them. A large ayakashi, shaped as a koi, jumped out of the water. Yukine saw it the same time she did and pulled her back. They rolled away from just as the ayakashi brought its tail down on the bridge. Neither of them could stand before the bridge beneath them crumbled and they fell into the water.

"Yukine!" Nora broke through the surface and tried to find him. She swam to him and placed her hand on his back since he was coughing water. The water glowed and she knew that the ayakashi was circling them. She knew that she had to protect Yukine so raised her finger into the air. Sparks surrounded her finger and she sliced through the water.

"Hiirone? How did you do that? I thought your brother took back your name." Yukine asked her, confused. Shinki only had the ability to use skills to defend themselves because of the name a god gives them. She shouldn't be able to use an attack like she did.

"We need to get out of the water before the ayakashi comes back!" Nora desperately pulled Yukine towards the shore. She would have to think of a lie after they were safe. Once they were out of the water, she scanned the water to find the ayakashi.

"You don't need to worry, Mizuchi. I would never tell my pet to actually hurt you." Nora's heart stopped when she heard her father's voice. It was clear so it wasn't a projection. On the other side of the water was Fujisaki. She couldn't see his expression but fear made her body stiff. He looked relax as he petted the koi ayakashi. "It's time to stop playing. Father never said you could play with Yukine to begin with."

"Hiirone?" Yukine looked between the student and her.

"I- I-" Nora stumbled but she knew that there was nothing she could say aside from, "I'm sorry, Yukine."

* * *

 **Honest to god, I can't find the spell shinki use to attack. I look at the chapter where Yukine and Nora fight but they didn't seem to say a specific phase like "bind" or "restraint". There was no Yukine last chapter so a giant fluff chapter (until the plots shows its head).**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

* * *

"Hiirone?" Yukine looked at her in confusion, still trying to make sense of the situation. Nora bunched her yukata in her hand and stared at the ground because she couldn't bring herself to look at either Yukine or her father. How could she face either without betraying the other?

"Come, Mizuchi." Her father suddenly appeared behind them. He placed a cold hand on her shoulder and she stiffened. Yukine raised his hand to attack him but Fujisaki commanded his ayakashi to knock him back. Nora gasped when he fell into the water. She rushed to help him but his hand on her shoulder roughly held her back.

"I'm not going to kill him but you know that there's a lot my pets can do short of killing him. If you don't want to cause any more trouble, you'll come back home with me. Now give me that mask, Mizuchi." He held out his hand to her and she wanted desperately not to. Couldn't he let her leave without revealing her identity to Yukine?

"I'm so sorry, Yukine." Nora whispered since she knew that she couldn't fight her father. With shaking hands, she took off the mask and handed it to her father. He didn't give it a glance before he threw it into the water. Knowing that he had her obedience, he walked away with the expectation that she would follow him. She did so and tried to cover her face as much as possible as she walked away.

"Wait! Nora!" Yukine pushed himself out of the water and grabbed her arm. He turned her so that she would face him. For a moment, neither of them spoke and merely stood in silence. She could see emotions rush through his eyes. First it was confusion but it soon transitioned to betrayal and anger. "What was this? Was this some sick joke to try to get to Yato?"

The accusation and anger in his eyes cut her but she knew that she had no one to blame but herself. From the start, she knew that this could be the only way her mascaraed could end. Nora laughed bitterly to herself but Yukine thought that she was laughing at him. "Was it fun playing me for the fool?"

"It wasn't like that!" Nora yelled even though she knew that it was pointless to try to convince him otherwise. It would've been easy to brush off her claim until he saw the tears on the edge of her eyes. She refused to let them fall and struggled to push his hand off her arm. "I need to go!"

"Come, Sekki!" Someone called and she felt the warmth of Yukine's hand disappear. Yato stepped out from behind a tree and she wondered how long he had been watching them. He held Yukine but the sword shook and she knew that it was because of Yukine's anger. On the other hand, Yato addressed her with a cold calmness. "I told you, I know you Nora. Leave before father comes back and we'll have to fight."

Nora didn't say a word and took the opportunity to leave. She didn't allow herself to look back.

* * *

"I can't believe she was Nora! Could I be more stupid? I bet she was laughing at me this entire time." Yukine spent the day fuming as he stared at the letters littering the ground. He had been trying to find what she wanted from him but just thinking of her made him angry again.

"Nora's good at manipulating people so don't be angry with yourself." Yato said in an even tone and Yukine was surprised at how calm he was.

"If you knew the truth all along then why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you stop me?" Yukine asked but Yato only shrugged. He lay on the ground, looking over the letters. "You should know better than anyone how dangerous she is so why did you let me trade letter with her? What if something happened? Who knows what she was planning."

"So what are you going to do the next time we fight her?" Yato asked slowly. He knew that exact moment Yukine's anger turned into hesitation. "We're going to have to fight her. Father won't stop just because you discovered her identity. He'll just make another plan to trick you."

"You still haven't told me why you didn't tell me that Nora was pretending to be Hiirone." Yukine asked pointedly.

"I didn't think that there was a point. You're smart so you would've found out for yourself. I just needed to stay close in case you needed my help to fight." Yato sat up and gathered the letters. He didn't need to be Yukine's god to know that he was hurting. It was painted clearly on his face. "That's the expression I didn't want to see. If I told you, you would've been hurt and I didn't want that."

"Well it's too late for that now. How could she trick me so easily? I really thought that she was… like me. She looked so lost when I first met her and I thought I could help her. Her letters didn't make me think that she was trying to trick me. She seemed guarded but I thought she was a good person. She cheered for me and we were having fun at the festival."

"Yesterday would be the first time she and I got to enjoy the festival."

"So she didn't lie about one thing," Yukine said bitterly to himself. He remembered the tears he saw in her eyes and wondered if they were true as well.

"Yukine, you wanted to help a lost soul and I think you did, even if she didn't turn out who thought she was. I know that you let her experience a lot of things she haven't been able to before. You did all you could and what you do next is up to you." Yato handed him the letters. "You can keep them or burn them but it's up to you. These are your feelings."

* * *

"Isn't this precious?" Fujisaki laughed. Nora didn't answer her father as she watched him read the letters Yukine gave her. After he finished reading each one, he tossed it into the fire. She stared into the fire where the stuff animal she and Yukine won burned. If only her feelings could turn to ash as easily as those material things Yukine gave her.

"This is the last letter, right?" He asked her as he tossed the letter into the fire. They both knew that it was a pointless question his ayakashi had already searched her hut for the letters. "Well that was an entertaining distraction but we need to discuss why you would do something like this without me. A good girl like you should know better."

"I'm sorry father." Nora said in a quiet voice to not anger him more than he already was. While most people wouldn't think that he was angry, she knew that the quiet rage in his eyes was much more dangerous than the screams of any madman. "It was only supposed to be one letter but he sent me another one and-"

"I don't want your excuses!" He cut her off and she flinched. He sighed but didn't move towards her. Instead, it was her wolves that gave her a reassuring touch. "I'm sorry I raised my voice, Mizuchi but you should know that I'm only doing this for you. You'll be sadder when we break Yukine if you continued this little game of yours."

"Break Yukine? I thought we were only going to turn him into an ayakashi!" Nora snapped her head up.

"That was my intention but I've changed my mind." He shrugged as if he hadn't a care in the world but Nora felt as if there was a stone in her stomach. "He is powerful but I've thought of another way to get my revenge on the Heavens. With my new plan, I can make their strongest god fall from grace and she'll be the one to do herself in."

"What did you do, Father?" Nora asked in a low voice.

"I just planted the seed of doubt. No matter how strong a blessed vessel is, they all have one weakness: a blind devotion to their god. If a little bird told a certain blessed vessel that our little Yato had a connection to me, what do you think he would do? Would he betray his own student? And poor Yukine would never guess that his teacher would betray him."

Nora knew instantly that he was referring to Kazuma and that her father was right. She saw how Yukine looked up to Kazuma. She lived long enough to know that people's first duty was to their family. "Don't look so sad, Mizuchi. We're not going to kill anyone. We're just going to push them to destroy each other. If Bishamon goes crazy, the gods are going to kill."

"And you're hoping that the gods Yato made friends with will rise to defend her."

"They might be strong but they won't be able to stand against the heavens. Once all of them are killed and reborn, Yato will be all alone again. He'll have to come back to us. Of course we'll need to take care of that girl and Yukine to make sure he has no ties to anyone."

"You can't!" Nora yelled and slammed her hands against the table. Both of them were shocked by her words but Fujisaki was the first to compose himself. She fumbled to say anything to defend herself when her father took out his paintbrush.

"You seemed to have a lot of fun when you played with Yukine. If you want new friends to play with, you only had to tell me. I'll summon so many ayakashi for you to play with that you'll feel the need to go to Yukine again. Isn't father nice?"

* * *

Nora's body felt beaten and sore as she pulled herself out of the lake. The water cleansed the impurities caused by the ayakashi's bites but her body still felt heavy. A chill bit her as she collapsed onto the ground but she refused to cry out. She was too tired to stand so merely laid on the ground. Nora knew that it would be better to change out of her wet clothes before she caught a chill but she was too tired to do so.

Something soft fell onto her cheek and it reminded her of Yukine. How long had she been lying on the ground? She had exhausted herself by running and fighting the ayakashi. Nora didn't even know how far she ran. But when she finally sat up, she thought life was playing a cruel joke on her.

In front of her was the Sakura tree where she first spoke to Yukine. Had she run to the tree instinctively or did something else bring her to the tree. The cool air made her shiver and she remembered the jacket he gave her. She touched the petal that have fallen on her and remembered the Sakura flowers he gave her. Within her memories, she remembered all the happiness he gave her.

She owed him so much and Nora wasn't the kind of person to be indebted to anyone. If there was anything she could do to repay him, she would have to betray her father to do so. With that thought in mind, she pushed herself to her feet.

At first she forced her legs to move forward but as she made her way down the forbidden path, she found herself running. Her clothes were still wet but she no longer felt cold because there was a determination in her heart. She was breathing heavily when she stopped in front of the gated house, she felt that determination ebb away.

Nora ran to the house wanting to help Yukine but the entire journey, she couldn't think of a way to do so without angering her father. Even if she told him about her father, would he believe her? She remembered the hatred and distrust in his eyes when he discovered her identity.

She heard the gate open and she looked up to see Yukine walk out. He was muttering something beneath his breathe and wondered why he looked so solemn. She wanted to ask him and comfort him but her words stopped themselves when he their eyes met. The solemn was gone and replace by distrust. It was so potent that the warmth he once looked at her with now seemed like an illusion.

"Nora…" He addressed her with an aloof tone. Yukine began to walk towards her but she knew from the raging blizzard in his eyes that he didn't intend to say anything more.

"I'll give you some advice," Nora forced herself to speak before it was too late. He didn't stop. "Beware of Kazuma."

Still, he didn't stop. He only walked past her and she could feel the rejection shake her. Nora wanted to take his arm and shake him until he believed her but she knew that it was pointless. Why would he believe a liar like her? She turned and watched him walk away from her without looking back. In one last attempt, she whispered to his retreating form. "I'm sorry for tricking you but please believe."

Yukine looked back to her but she was already gone.

* * *

 **I know I haven't updated for a long time but honestly, I update this side project more than my main projects sometimes. Please be grateful that I update this without pressuring me to write when I'm really busy with university.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters.**

* * *

"You know Hiyori is going to kill us when she finds out, right?" Yukine whispered harshly to Yato as he looked out the bus window. Yato didn't seem to be as hesitant as he jumped off the bus. Hiyori told them that her family was going on fishing trip. The news made Yato spiral into a depression until he had the bright idea to follow her. Yukine tried to convince him not to but here they were.

"This should be the campsite she told us about!" Yato looked at the brochure Hiyori showed them. Yukine sighed since it was obvious that anything he said would go over Yato's head. He loved and admired Yato but anything concerning Hiyori turned him into a lovesick fool. "Let's go and surprise Hiyori! She's going to be so happy to see us."

"Or she'll be angry that you're crashing her trip again. Remember the spectacle you made at her skiing trip? You need to give people space sometimes." Yukine tried to advise him as Yato's guidepost but he only pouted in response.

"But I just want to be with her and protect her. What if something happens to her and I'm not there to protect her? No one can protect her like me." Yato protested and Yukine wondered how a god who lived for hundreds of years could have a simple mindset. He understood Yato's worry but knew that following Hiyori on her trip was excessive. "Now let's go find her!"

Yato was already off and running before Yukine could stop him. He started to follow him but stopped when he felt someone behind him. He looked back but he couldn't see anyone watching him among the crowd. He was a ghost so people couldn't see him under normal circumstances but for the last couple weeks he felt as if someone had been watching him.

"Are you coming?" Yato's call made him turn his attention away from it. Yukine followed Yato but could still feel the sensation of someone watching him. He didn't know if he should be worried so kept it in the back of his mind.

"I still think this is a bad idea!" Yukine screamed as he ran to Yato's side. Once they were walking side by side, Yukine whispered. "Do you sense anything? I feel like someone has been watching us since we got off the bus. Do you think it's-"

"You worry too much. It's probably just your imagination." Yato ruffled his hair. Honestly, he followed Hiyori for his own sake but also Yukine's. After being betrayed by Hiirone and Kazuma, he had been on the edge. If there was anyone that could remind him that he could trust others, it was Hiyori. "This is going to be a fun trip so don't think about it too much."

"But we need to stay alert even if you think there's no danger." Yukine reminded him. Yato wished that his friends weren't involved with his father but he knew that there was little he could do against Fujisaki. The best he could do was protect them without letting them discover the truth.

"We're going fishing today so let's catch the biggest fish in the lake! What can possibly happen out here in the country?" Yato shrugged off Yukine's worry. "You never went fishing before so I'll teach you everything you need to know!"

"I've never went fishing before?" Yukine echoed and Yato staggered for a moment. They had been together so long that Yato forgot that Yukine was a ghost. Any mention of his past could corrupt him so Yato was quick to change the subject so Yukine couldn't dwell on it.

"I'm sure Hiyori will cook the fish we catch too! Eating her cooking is the part I'm looking forward to the most. We should catch the biggest fish ever so she won't be angry that we followed her and she'll cook for us. Just imagine us sitting together around the fire with freshly cooked fish and the stars above us. We'll be like an old married couple on a fishing trip."

"Why do I feel like I'm not in the scenario you're imagining?" Yukine rolled his eyes. Though the image of the three of them fishing together and them around a fire was nice. Even though Yukine chastised Yato and told him Hiyori would be upset, they all knew that she was too kind to stay upset at them. "I just hope nothing happens on this trip."

* * *

"You got a bite! Reel it in before it gets away!" Yato instructed with enthusiasm and Yukine quickly tried to reel in the fish. Hiyori also gave him encouragement and clapped when he pulled the fish out of the water. Like Yukine predicted, Hiyori was mad that Yato followed her but allowed them to stay and enjoy the trip with her.

Nora watched the three from across the lake. She stayed in the shadows and stewed in a mixture of jealousy and loneliness. If Yukine hadn't discover her identity, she was sure that Hiirone could join them. But he did know the truth so she could only watch them from afar.

Despite her father's disapproval and warnings, she couldn't stop herself from thinking of Yukine. She was worried about Yukine and her brother so followed them as much as she could. The only thing she could do was watch them. She did so because she loved her brother but what were her feelings towards Yukine? She placed her hand on her heart and tried to find the answer.

Nora couldn't name the emotion. But she could neither ignore it nor make it disappear.

She had already decided to protect them as much as she could without betraying her father. Whenever she went to spy on them, she would tell her father that another god had called on her. Nora didn't know if he believed her or not but he allowed her to go.

The fish jumped out of the water and splashed the three. Even though they all became wet, they laughed and smiled. They looked like they were enjoying themselves and it made the lake between them feel like an abyss. Why was she watching them when she knew that she could never be a part of their group? Yukine hated her and Yato didn't trust her so why was she bothering to protect them?

She shouldn't care what happened to them. For centuries, her father had told her the only thing they needed was family and her father's current plan would achieve what she wanted. Watching them, she knew what she wanted had changed. She didn't want Yato to be sad. She didn't want to break Yukine. She didn't want to be looked at with cold distrust by the ones she loved…

Nora could name all the things she didn't want but she couldn't say what she did want. Family? Friendship? Something more?

* * *

The moon was high in the sky but Nora couldn't bring herself to sleep. She leaned against the tree and felt herself doze off for a moment. She wanted to be close to Yato and Yukine to protect them but she didn't know when Bishamon would try to fight her father. Her father would need her to fight against the war god. Hopefully when that fight comes, Yukine and Yato wouldn't be caught in the crossfire.

But it was a feeble hope, Nora knew.

Yukine stepped out of the tent and turned on his lantern. Nora saw him and pushed herself further into the shadows. Did he sense her?

"Taking a walk Yukine?" Yato asked him without opening his eyes. Yukine hadn't been able to sleep and thought fresh air would help him calm his nerves. The darkness still made him nervous but he found himself able to endure it since he knew that Yato was nearby. Yato seemed to know what he was thinking as he said, "I'll be right here when you get back."

"Thank you." Yukine smiled.

"Just don't stay out too late… Wait, you can stay out as long as you want and leave me with Hiyori here." Yato sat up and grinned at him. Yukine gave him a quick glare but it wasn't cold, just slightly annoyed. With Yato, it could either by a jest or a lovesick comment.

Yukine was glad that he had Yato but didn't know if he should tell him about his concerns. Usually he would tell Yato to not cause him any distress but how could he bring up Nora? He didn't walk too far from the tent and only sat on the river bank. Hiyori had made a large bonfire and he was grateful for its light. He picked up a rock and tossed it across the lake.

He watched the rock skip over the water but his mind was elsewhere. Yukine remembered that he was skipping rocks when he first met Nora. She looked normal until he recognized all the names on her body. With so many names, Hiirone probably meant nothing to him. It was only a ploy to manipulate him… but he couldn't help but remember how happy she sounded when she chose that name.

"God, I'm making myself crazy!" Yukine screamed and fell onto his back. He stared up at the night sky but focused on the bright moon to keep himself being scared. But his eyes were drawn to the stars and his eyes widened when they appear to start falling. Snow in the summer?

Quickly sitting up, he could tell that it was only a trick of the mind. But looking up at the stars suddenly made him tense again. Something about the darkness and snow made his stomach turn. He knew that he wasn't seeing snow but his body was slowly becoming colder. Suddenly, small hands covered his eyes and their warmth stopped the cold and snow.

"Calm down, Yukine." Nora instructed but didn't take her hands away from his eyes. She had been watching him stare at the sky and wondered what he was thinking. When she heard a small crack, she knew with horrific clarity that she was seeing his past rather than the sky. She couldn't watch him confused and in pain so she intervened.

"What?" Yukine touched her hand. He knew from her voice that she was Nora. He didn't know if he should turn and fight her or not. Common sense told him that he should but he couldn't bring himself to do so when his body was still shaking slightly.

"Just pretend that I'm still Hiirone." Nora instructed in a small voice. Her hands dropped and her arms moved to hug him. Yukine turned in her arms to face her but she had already buried her face into his shoulder so she couldn't see him. Luckily, it didn't seem like she wanted to fight. So what was her intention and why was she here now?

"If you ever start seeing things again, I want you to think of the present. Think of anything else." Nora instructed.

"Why?" Yukine asked simply and she felt hurt by the distrust in his voice.

"Because I want you to be there to protect Yato." She named the only reason both Yukine and Nora could accept. Yukine might not know her intention but she understood it even less. "I hate you for breaking apart my family but right now you're the only one that can protect my brother. Please do as I say."

"And what makes you think that I will?" Yukine asked.

"Because you're kind, warm and loyal." In the past, that statement would've been delivered sarcastically but now it sounded bittersweet. "You showed Hiirone that kindness and I know how loyal you can be. Even though you almost drifted past the edge, you didn't. Stay on this side so you can protect my brother."

"Why did you pretend to be Hiirone?" Yukine turned to face her when he felt her arms loosen around him. But that moment he took to turn was all she needed to disappear. He stared into the darkness, looking for her but she didn't leave anything but her warmth and questions.

* * *

 **I haven't written in so long XD need to finish the next chapter of Ghost of a Memory**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

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Nora made sure to avoid stepping on any leaves of branches to not cause any noise that would draw attention to herself. She watched Yukine as he searched the bushes for a hairpin. Yato had received a wish from a girl who lost a hairpin her mother gave her. He sighed and turned to Yato and Hiyori who were also searching. "It's not here either."

"It's getting late so you should head home, Hiyori. It's dangerous for you to stay out here. Yato and I can keep looking." Yukine told Hiyori but she shook her head, insisting that she could help them. From Yato's expression, she knew how happy her response made him. He hugged her in his excitement and had to be pulled away by Yukine.

Nora couldn't help but think of how happy they looked even though they had the impossible task of finding a tiny hairpin in a large park. She looked down at the hairpin in her hand. When she heard Yato accept the wish, she went to find the hairpin first. She had panned to put the pin somewhere obvious for them to find but she never had the opportunity to.

If she was honest, she would've admit that it was a selfish need rather than the lack of an opportunity that prevented her from giving them the hairpin. She wanted to be closer to Yato and Yukine but once she handed over the hairpin, she wouldn't have an excuse to be around them. So, she watched them from afar with the hairpin in her hand.

"I don't think we'll make any progress like this. How about we split up? I'll continue to search here with Hiyori and you can search the river bank for the hairpin?" Yato suggested and Yukine clicked his tongue in reply. He could easily guess what Yato's objective was and gave him a doubtful look. "She did saw she was skipping rocks while in the park."

"You just want to be alone with Hiyori, don't you?" Yukine accused and Yato looked genuinely hurt by the words. His expression and the way he clutched his heart was exaggerated and Yukine began doubt him again. "We should stay together. It's almost night time and more ayakashi comes out then. It's safer if we stay together."

"But I know you can protect yourself. Anyways, I just feel like you'll find that hairpin if you go to the river. Trust me." Yato insisted and Yukine had to wonder why. Yato and Yukine were rarely apart. Even if they weren't close to each other, Yato had someone he trusted watch over him. Yukine trusted Yato and something in his voice told him that he didn't only want to be alone with Hiyori.

"I'll go but you better be looking while I'm gone. And we should stop searching and meet up in front of the park before it gets too dark. At that point, there's no point in looking. We can try again in the morning." Yukine decided and Yato nodded. Yukine checked his watch and saw that it was almost eight. "I'll meet you out front in an hour."

"Be careful while you're looking." Hiyori told him and he nodded. Yukine made his way to the river. If she did lose the hairpin near the river, he doubted he would find it easily. He stopped at the edge of the river and scanned the area for the pin. The sun was setting so everything was a shade of yellow or orange. He sighed, thinking that it was pointless.

Yukine turned when he heard a splash. He turned to see if someone had thrown a rock but the only hint was the ripples in the water. The sun reflected something in the water and Yukine was shocked to find that it was the hairpin. It stuck out among a cluster of rocks as if someone had placed it there. He knew that it was near impossible for it to fall perfectly among the rocks without being damaged.

"Yato better not have sent me on this wild goose chase so he can be alone with Hiyori." Yukine grumbled to himself. He took off his shoes and waded his way through the water to reach the hairpin. Luckily, the water wasn't too deep and it only reached his waist. The rocks were in the center of the river and he had to fight the current to reach it.

He pulled out the pin from the rocks and placed it in his pocket so he wouldn't lose it while he tried to reach the riverbank again. As he made his way out of the water, it began to rain and he swore. He didn't think that it would rain. Why was he having the worst luck recently? The river became more violent and Yukine struggled to keep his footing.

Yukine stepped on a loose rock and lost his balance. He felt himself be dragged underneath the water but he told himself to stay calm. He struggled to escape the current and try to swim to the surface. A couple times, he was able to break through and breath but he was just as quickly dragged back down.

Someone took his hand and dragged him out of the water. He didn't fight them when they roughly pulled him onto the surface. Yukine began to cough out the water he swallowed and fought to regain his breath. When he was finally able to breath again, he turned to his saviour. "Thank you for― Nora?"

"Now is that any way to address the person that saved you? Some gratitude would be appreciated. I risked my life to save you." Nora's brows drew together when his tone changed so easily. She had instinctively gone to save him, forgetting that they were supposed to distrust each other. While it was still true for Yukine, it was no longer mutual.

"For all I know, you could've been the one that caused the rain." Yukine accused. It was still raining and it made it difficult for him to tell where he was. He had to find Yato again before the storm got any worse. He stood and wringed out the water from his jacket. Even though it would only be a small difference, he didn't want to catch a cold.

"It's flattering that you think I'm that powerful and I assure you that you are right. I can use a song to make a storm much more powerful than this. But I didn't create this one. I saved you so I expect you to be grateful." Nora turned up her nose at him. Any hurt she felt from Yukine's distrust was disguised with her sly smile. "If you're not going to thank me, you can leave now."

Yukine was about to snap at her but stopped when her saw her ankle. Her sock was teared slightly and he knew that she must've scrapped herself because blood was already soaking through. She saw his gaze and placed her hand over his feet. "Feeling pity, Yukine? You don't need to. This is nothing so you don't need to worry about me. I'll be able to get myself home."

Nora expected Yukine to leave and waited for him to do so. She didn't want him to see her limping. She heard Yukine heave a sigh before something fell over her head. It was so familiar that she knew that it was his jacket. She quickly pulled the hood over her head to hide the emotions on her face. He knelt in front of her and looked over his shoulder.

"I'll take you back. You did save me but I don't want you to use that against me in the future. I'll do this one favour and that'll be it. That jacket should keep you from getting wet." Yukine told her. Against her better judgement, she stumbled forward until she landed on his back. She wrapped her arms her neck and was enveloped by his warmth. "To be clear, I want my jacket back when this is over."

"Don't just assume that I want your smelly jacket." Nora puffed her cheeks but she honestly loved how warm the jacket was. If she could, she would keep it but it was obvious Yukine wouldn't let her.

Yukine didn't respond to her and stood. She was surprisingly light on his back and he only realized how small she was. He always thought that she would be taller because she seemed so strong whenever they fought. "So where is your home? We should go before it starts raining harder."

"Just follow the river that way," Nora instructed and pointed forward. He moved forward and she wondered if he knew that she was lying. She couldn't tell him where she lived and risk encountering her father. So, she sent him off in a random direction.

Silence surrounded them as he walked along the river. It was awkward and she couldn't help remember how it was before he found the truth. Those moments were soothing and peaceful because there wasn't a wall between them. She lifted her face from his shoulder and gazed at his profile. "Will you humour me for a minute? There's something I want."

"Something you want?" Yukine asked with a raised brow and she nodded.

"I want you to pretend that I'm Hiirone." She told him and he was so shocked that he almost lost his grip on her. He didn't understand why she would ask him that. Hiirone was only something she used to trick him but she almost sounded nostalgic saying the name. She placed her sleeve over her mouth to muffle her voice. "I really had fun at the festival."

Yukine looked forward and silence fell over him. He wondered if she was only mocking him with the request or if she had another plan. He thought he knew Hiirone but he could never predict what a person like Nora would do. But he found himself replying. "It's a shame that we couldn't watch the fireworks."

"That's my fault and I'm sorry." Even though her voice was muffled, he thought she sounded truly regretful and sad. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder and he couldn't see her face. "But Father means well, I know it. He protected me and my brother from the Gods and humans that would take advantage of us. Without him, I wouldn't be alive."

"If you think your father is so great, why did you warn me about him in your letter?"

"Because I think he's wrong this time. He has a plan but I think that it costs too much. We can find another way to get Brother back to his senses and fight the Gods without hurting… I can't tell you what his plan is." Nora stopped herself before she could say too much. Even though she didn't want Yukine to be hurt, she knew that she couldn't betray her father.

"Are you scared of him?" Yukine's question shocked her.

She laughed sarcastically but it sounded far from natural to Yukine. He could feel her shake slightly, so subtle that he was only able to tell because she was so close to him. "Why would I be afraid of someone that I owe everything to? He's my Father and I know that he always does what's best for us. Everything he does is to make sure we survive in this world."

"Are you scared of Yato? He probably killed as many people as your father has and it was to survive too."

Nora clicked her tongue at his second question and he felt her body relax. As he expected, she was quick to defend her brother. "Who would be afraid of such a good natured fool? Why would I be afraid of him? I remember this one time he tried to hatch an egg from the store. He cried so much when I dropped it and it broke. I had to get him a hen to stop him from crying."

"I can see Yato being a crybaby when he was younger." Yukine laughed at her story. His laugh was so warm and genuine that she couldn't help but laugh along as well.

"It was only ten years ago, actually. We never cried much when we younger. Father would make sure that we were happy and let us go out whenever we want as long as we bring back ears to show him." As she spoke about her childhood, her voice became more detached. Her childhood was far from normal and she didn't seem to be aware of that herself.

Yukine thought back to the conversation they had when he first met her as Hiirone. She said that she never had a friend before. Could it be true? The only people she talked about were Yato and her father.

"Hiirone… If your father never took you away the day of the festival, would you have told me the truth?" Yukine asked and she was silent for a moment.

"I wouldn't." She answered. "You would hate Hiirone and Nora and both would go back to having no friends. You shouldn't ask questions like the one you just did. It's not good to look back on what we regret. You can only look forward and think about what you really want."

"So, what are you looking forward to?"

"My home is nearby so you can let me down now." Nora changed the subject instead of answering. She pinched his arm so he would loosen his hold and let her go. She slid off his back and immediately stepped away from him. Even though she didn't want to, she took off his jacket and handed it back to him. But as she placed his jacket in his hands, he gripped her hand.

"Will you really be okay?"

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm strong and can control my emotions unlike you." Nora laughed and slipped her hand from his. She turned and walked away from him. Once she was far enough away, she looked over her shoulder to him. He was walking away and his question echoed in her mind. What was she looking forward to?

* * *

 **I haven't written in so long but I really want to get my fanfics back on track. Mostly because this fanfic is almost finished. I have another chapter and an epilogue planned.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

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"Yato got invited to the Kamuhakari? He must be excited about that. I wonder if the party was fun." Nora said as she walked next to her father. After following Yukine and Yato for a while, her father had gotten suspicious and ordered her to stay by his side. Of course, she was free while he was in school since there was a chance Hiyori would see her and recognize her.

"I'm sure he did. But poor boy needs to come home soon." Her father said beside her. "I think Bishamon will make her move soon. If she's going to revolt against the gods to revenge her shinki, she would do so when they're all busy partying. Such fools are easy to predict. We just have to wait for her to come to us and we'll lead her to the Gods to be punished."

"But what about Yato? He'll come to her defense and so will his other friends. Yato and Yukine could be hurt. You said that we need Yukine since he's a powerful regalia that we can use." Nora argued with the vain hope that he would spare them. She wanted to say that she only cared because their death would sadden Yato but they would also sadden her.

"Are you questioning my judgement?" He said in an even voice but his eyes were sharp when he glared at her. She shirked away from it slightly and bit her tongue. Seeing that, her father placed a hand on her head but it was devoid of any warmth, "They're nothing but disposable puppets to me. Yato and you are the only puppet I still need. Do you know why?"

"Because we're a family and we live for each other," Nora answered but her heart wasn't in the words as it once was. She couldn't help but think of Yukine. He had no reason to hold out a warm hand to her when they first met. He had even less reason to help her return home in the rain. But he did out of the kindness of his heart and not because of the obligation of friendship or family.

 _Are you afraid of him?_ Yukine's question echoed in her mind and she desperately to say no but she couldn't say it was the honesty she felt before. A part of her still believed her father was trying to make their family whole again but the other part had doubt. She saw the family Yato had and how different it was from theirs.

"I'm going to class now but I'll need you to stay close since I don't know when Bishamon will attack me. Don't stray too far now. My ayakashi will tell me if you do." He reminded her and casually twirled the paintbrush around his finger. She knew there was nothing casual about his action and it was a deliberate warning. "I'll see you after class is over."

"Just go to class before you're late." She reminded him. Nora wanted to make her voice as arrogant like it would be whenever they spoke in the past. But it came naturally then because she was ignorant. Meeting Yukine changed how she saw her father but she didn't know if it was for the better. Her father was her only family member and they could only trust each other.

Nora watched her father leave and sighed. Her wolf ayakashi walked faithfully beside her and she didn't mind their presence. On the other hand, she could feel the other ayakashi's eyes on her like a heavy boulder. She tried to ignore them and went off to find something to do within the distance of the school. "Maybe I can mess with those shallow school girls."

Nora walked through the school but no one paid her any attention. She looked for her next victim but she couldn't find the thought of tormenting the students entertaining anymore. What would that bring her? She sighed and leaned against the wall. They were ignorant or trouble while she was swimming in it so she should do something to make them suffer.

Closing her eyes, she could see Yukine's kind eyes. Nora knew that he had those thoughts once and she was almost able to use those thoughts to corrupt him. But he didn't. She hated to admit it but it was most likely because he was stronger than her. With that strength, he found a warm family.

Nora opened her eyes and saw a girl run by. In her rush, she didn't notice a letter fall out of her bag. She couldn't help but pick up the letter. It didn't take much thought to conclude that it was a love letter.

"Where is it?" Nora heard someone say and she followed the voice. She walked into an empty classroom and saw the girl from earlier. She was frantically looking through her bag. There was already another bag hanging next to the bag so she knew that it wasn't her desk. "He's going to come back soon and find out I'm sending him these letters."

"Are you looking for this letter?" Nora made her presence known and the girl jumped in shock. She held out the letter to the girl and she beamed at the sight. She thanked her profusely and Nora smiled awkwardly. It felt wrong to accept her gratitude because Nora knew she would've never given back to letter if letters didn't hold a significant meaning to her.

Suddenly, a powerful wind burst around her and she looked out the window. The wind wreck havocked on the entire school before dying down to reveal a masked woman. Her bold blond hair told Nora who the woman was and Nora ran out of the room to find her father. She heard her name being called and transformed into a shakujo.

Nora tried to travel to her father quickly but she couldn't before arrows began to rain down on her. Looking up at the heavens, she saw the heaven's subju-station force. How were they able to intervene so quickly? The Gods' power was so overwhelming that she couldn't answer her father's call for a moment. There wasn't a chance her father, Yato or Yukine could survive their wrath.

Caught between wanting to help her father and save Yato and Yukine, her mind raced. How could she achieve both without angering her father? If she went to save her brother, then her father would die and Yato wouldn't have a lifeline to depend on. If she helped her father, then Yato and his friends would face the wrath of the Heavens.

Nora ran to her father and saw him slip away from Bishamon while she tried to defend herself from the Gods. An idea came to her and she ignored her father calling her name. There was a way to save both her father, brother and Yukine. They could both hate her for betraying them but she refused to let the Heavens take them from her.

Nora ran as fast as she could and the path to the shrine was a blur to her. Nothing was clear in her mind except her need to protect those she loved. She needed to find Yukine and convince him to stop Yato from interfering with the subjugation. Even if Yato's friends were to die, he would still have Yukine who was his new family.

As she ran up the steps to the shrine, she couldn't help but think of when she watched Yukine train with Kazuma. Those times she was Hiirone seemed so simple now but she cherished them. She would trade all those memories to be able to save the person who gave them to her.

When she reached the shrine, she clapped her hands and felt herself being lifted to the heavens. It seemed to be in a mass on confusion when she arrived but it helped since no one noticed her arrival. She went to search for Yukine and hoped that no one would notice a stray like her.

In the distance, she saw Yukine. Nora threw herself forward and grabbed his sleeve. He turned sharply and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Nora. What—"

"Yukine, help me!" She interrupted, "Bishamon has come to kill Father! The one heaven is currently pursuing for the of high treason is Bishamon. She has even obtained a hafuri vessel with the intent to kill father. Father appears to have escaped. However, he still isn't safe. I'm going to father's air but I don't know if I can handle this alone…"

Nora trailed off when she saw that he was staring at her in disbelief. In her rush, she forgot that he had no reason to help her. He cared for Hiirone, not her, so why would he help her? She bit her lower lip and added: "If you want to protect Yato, then what you need to do is let Bishamon be subjugated by Heaven."

She didn't wait for him to respond before she turned away from him. Nora couldn't bring herself to look back at him as she ran to help her father.

* * *

"Focus, Mizuchi!" Fujisaki commanded and Nora quickly blocked Nana's attack. Every time they clashed, Nora tried to keep herself from breaking. How could Nana be so strong after being liberated? It was human nature for Shinki to scramble to anger and bitterness when learning the truth of their deaths. But Bishamon and Nana continued their attack.

"Yes, father." Nora renewed her efforts and tried to find a way to restrain them. The heaven rained down attacks on them which both helped and hindered her. While it kept Bishamon at bay slightly, she also had to protect her father from being protected. She tried to track the Gods' movements and she saw a torrent of flower petals rain down on them.

The flowers disorientated her and Fujisaki took advantage of the moment by knocking her to the ground. Bishamon crashed to the ground and he grinned when he saw that she didn't raise again. Confident, he floated down and raised his staff to stab her. "This is your punishment."

"Stop!" Someone screamed but Fujisaki ignored it and thrust his shakujo down. Nora heard the plea to but knew that she couldn't stop her father so only closed her eyes in resignation. She felt a hand grab hers and stop her attack. When she opened her eyes, she saw Yukine standing before her. "Stop this, Nora!"

"So, my reckless boy has come to save his friend?" Fujisaki laughed mockingly. Yato stood in front of Bishamon and blocked his attack. "You do realize that you're the reason I'm doing all this. You got yourself into trouble and father had to clean up your mess."

"Kazuma, get Bishamon out of here. This is a private family matter." Yato ignored Fujisaki and spoke with Kazuma. He didn't turn away from his father but heard Kazuma leave. Fujisaki pushed Yato away and tried to stop their escape. But Yato was faster and blocked his attack again. "I'm not going to let you control my life anymore! I care about my friends more than I'm afraid of you!"

"This little rebellion of yours is cute but it's time to stop being a brat and come back to us. As punishment for causing so much trouble, I'll be taking Yukine from you." Fujisaki's cold voice made Nora shudder. He raised his staff again, intent on using her to being down his wrath on Yato. "It's a shame to break such a pretty toy but this must be done."

Fujisaki brought down his weapon, intent on liberating and breaking Yukine. Nora resisted. She dug her feet into the ground and forced his attack to a stop. "No!"

"Mizuchi?" Nora didn't know who was more shocked by her defiance, her father or herself. Feeling her father's rage, she reverted and stumbled away from him. He held out a hand to her and, for the first time in her life, she was afraid to take it. "What are you doing, Mizuchi? Don't you want Yato back? I need you to make us a family again."

Nora backed away from her father. She looked from her father to Yato and Yukine. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't save both. She had to choose one but she didn't know what she should do. But when she turned to them, the words flowed from her mouth. "I can't hurt Yukine and Yato! I won't!"

"Do you think you have a choice?" He roughly grabbed her arm and raised his hand to strike her. A sword came between them and stabbed through Fujisaki's arm. She was shocked to find Yato and Yukine standing beside her. Why would they protect her when she didn't deserve them? They didn't say a word to her and only glared at Fujisaki who laughed. "Do you think you can stop me?"

"Stop, Yato! Father's going to punish you and break Yukine if you keep fighting!" Nora was only too aware of her Father's wrath and tried to pull Yato and Yukine back. "Why are you doing this for me? I don't deserve saving after everything I did. I killed Suzuha. I hurt Hiyori. I did so many terrible things!"

The guilt choked Nora and terrible memories rushed through her mind. She felt a sharp prick on her arm and her father swore as he clutched his heart. Nora had stung her father. Her body shook with the realization but she couldn't deny the fact when an eye appeared on her arm. It was staring back at her in contempt but a realization came to her.

She could stop her father. Nora tightened her hand on the dirt and strengthened her resolve. If she stung her father enough, he would die and wouldn't be able to hurt the people she cared about. With a shaky voice, she confessed.

"I killed so many people even though I know how terrible it is to be dead. I thought they deserved the same thing that happened to me. But they didn't and I still killed them! I stole stationary from that store so I could write letters to Yukine. I lied about who I was and tricked Yukine so I could talk with him more. I wanted to be someone else so he would like me. I'm a liar. I'm selfish. I'm greedy."

With every confession, she stung her father and impurities appeared on her body. One by one, the names on her body were covered by an eye. Her father shouted at her and she buried her face in her hands to hide her shame. "I'm sorry father… I followed Yukine even though you told me not to."

"Stop this, Mizuchi! If I die, Yato won't be able to reborn."

"Yato has Yukine. Yato has Hiyori. Yato has friends. He'll be remembered." Nora wiped her eyes and looked up at her father. "He doesn't need a terrible family like ours anymore."

"You'll die to!" Fujisaki cried desperately as he collapsed on the ground. He was screaming in agony and he felt those cries like strikes on her heart.

"Don't you think I know that already? Friendship, love, a family… I still want those things but I can't and I hate that. Even in the end, I'm being a terrible and selfish girl because I'm only doing this to make myself happy. I know stopping you won't redeem me but I can die happy knowing that they can have everything I wanted."

Nora felt the last name on her body being consumed by the impurities. She didn't mourn for those names. Looking back at Yato and Yukine, she smiled to herself. Those names meant nothing to her but she couldn't help but have one more greedy desire. "I want to be called by that name again even though I don't deserve it."

Nora didn't expect them to grant her wish and she turned back. Before her was the Boundary and she only had to take a step to cross. Once she did, she would become an ayakashi and lose herself. She said that Yato would be remembered but she wondered if anyone would remember her. Would Yukine remember her and those small moments they shared or every terrible deed she had done.

Her father had stopped screaming and she knew that he was dead. Taking a shaky breath, she confessed her last sin that would kill her. "I'm jealous of Hiirone because I really want Yukine to like Nora."

Nora began to step over the line with a heavy heart. But she felt a warm hand on her wrist pull her back. She stumbled backwards into someone arms and they caught her. The world changed around her and she found herself surrounded by warmth. The arms around her shook and she looked up to see Yukine holding her tightly but she couldn't understand why.

"What were you thinking saying something like that?" Yukine buried his face into her shoulder. His worried tears drop onto her impurities and they began to fade. But it wasn't her tears that purify them but his words that touched her heart. "How can you be jealous of Hiirone? She's you. I don't care what name you're using because it's you I like."

"Thy name is Hiirone." They both looked up to see Yato standing above them. She looked down at her hand and was surprised to see the name imprinted on her palm. "Yukine begged me to save you but he was able to do that on his own. Welcome back, Hiirone."

* * *

 **Well those past couple chapters wrecked my heart. I always planned to have this ending for my fanfic but I didn't know if I should change it to fit the timeline more. But I decided to keep this. I really like how this turned out even if it's way longer than I expected it to be.**


	11. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Noragami or any of the characters**

* * *

Nora stood in front of the Sakura tree with a light heart, unburdened by grief or guilt. The sakura tree stood tall and strong and she hoped that it would continue to do so. It was the backdrop to the most important moments in her life. Those moments that started when someone was kind enough to hold out a warm hand to her. She looked down at her own hand with her new name.

"Hiirone!" Nora turned at the sound of her new name. Yukine ran to her with a wide smile and she couldn't help but return it. He had a basket on one arm and a blanket over the other. While Yato and Yukine were quick to trust her, the others were more hesitant so Yato suggested they have a picnic.

Nora insisted that they hold the picnic in front of the sakura tree. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was nervous and hoped being at the sakura tree would help her. But Yukine's smile and warm hands helped ease her worries more than the tree. Together, they spread out the picnic blanket. It would take some time for everyone to arrive so they decided to set everything up.

"What's that?" Yukine asked when he noticed Nora place a tea set and a basket of herbs on the blanket. She had left early that morning and said she needed to retrieve something for the picnic. He wanted to go with her but she insisted that she didn't want him to know what it was. The answer she gave him then was as vague as the one she gave him now.

"It's my secret weapon. If they still have trouble trusting me by the end of this picnic, I can use this!" Nora's eyes were determined and Yukine wondered if there was something special about the tea she could make. He couldn't ask her before Hiyori appeared. Hiyori went to buy some sweets and Yato insisted that he help her so he wondered why she returned alone.

"We ran into Ebisu when we were at the store and Yato kinda got distracted. They're going to every candy store in town to buy as much sweets as they could. I told them that we only need one box but you know how Yato can be." Hiyori told them with a laugh when they asked her where Yato was. "But he should be here before the picnic ends."

"I hope so," Nora muttered beneath her breath and only Yukine heard her. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was all she needed to reassure herself and she stepped forward to take the box of sweets from Hiyori. "I'll set this up with the other food! At a tea ceremony, everything needs to be in a certain place."

"She's really taking this seriously," Hiyori commented as she watched Nora carefully place the box of traditional sweets among the food they brought. "I hope this goes well for her."

"I hope so too," Yukine admitted. He could understand why the others would be weary and cautious of Nora but he wanted to see the kindness he knew she had. Watching her now, he couldn't help but smile. Who would've thought holding out a hand to a crying girl could change so much of his life. He would trade the moments he shared with Hiirone or his future with Nora for anything.

Soon, the others arrived. Nora could feel the tension around her but she still tried to stay confident. She knew that she could show them that she could be trusted. They were important to Yato and Yukine so she had to succeed. They were talking excitedly with each other but she couldn't find a way to join their conversation. She felt like an outsider.

"Do you want some of these dango? They're really sweet." Yukine placed a stick in her hand and she smiled at his kind gesture. She looked down at the name on her palm before tightening her hand in a determined fist.

"These will be really good with the tea I prepared! You people are important to Yukine and my brother so I will share my tea with you." Nora took the teapot and poured tea into everyone's cup. Some were hesitant but couldn't refuse when Nora took their cup and filled it with.

To everyone's surprise, she set down her teapot when she reached Yukine. Hiyori had to ask, "Hiirone, you're not going to pour Yukine some tea?"

"Of course not!" Nora said and blushed when she realized how her voice was loud and shaking. "That would go against my plan and—"

"Hiyori! We're back! Look at all this food we brought," Yato interrupted her. He came barreling towards the group with bags of food in one arm and Ebisu in the other. He slowed his steps before he reached them and placed Ebisu on the ground. "Oh yeah, I found where another the gods that gave you a name."

"Then let's go meet him. I would rather get rid of these useless names as soon as possible." Nora stood and dust off her clothes. She and Yato had been working hard to find the other Gods she belonged to and convinced them to release her. "But wait. I want to make sure everyone enjoys my tea."

Nora filled another cup with tea and passed it to Ebisu. Then she turned to Yukine and ordered. "Don't drink my tea. You're the only one that cannot. It's important that you don't. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Yukine had to nod his head under her commanding gaze. She smiled, looking relieved, and ran to join Yato. He watched them leave and wondered why she wouldn't let him drink the tea. He had to turn to the others and ask, "How is it?"

"It's blinking at us…" Hiyori answered with a pale face. He looked into her cup and was surprised with the appearance of the tea. It was thick and tiny bubbles rose to the surface. When he opened the teapot, he found that it was filled with strange roots and herbs. There were also animal parts that he couldn't name.

"Do you think she's trying to poison us?" Kazuma asked in a cautious voice. "She could be trying to poison and keep Yato and Yukine to herself. That would explain why she made Yukine promise not to drink any of the tea."

"Hiirone wouldn't do that!" Yukine was quick to come to her defense. "She's trying really hard to get you guys to trust her and she wouldn't poison any of you. I'll prove it."

Yukine drowned Hiyori's teacup. Everyone watched him for a reaction but he was silent for a moment. Then he silently walked to the river and promptly emptied his stomach. Kazuma ran to stand next to him and patted his back. "Was it poisoned?"

"I don't think it's poisoned… it just tastes really bitter." Yukine said before promptly fainting.

* * *

Yukine didn't know what hurt more, his head or his stomach. But a warm hand on his forehead lessened that pain and he opened his eyes. Nora was looking down at him with a worried expression that turned to relief. He realized that he was lying on her lap under the sakura tree. He cupped her hand to keep it against his cheek.

"How could you, Yukine!" Her angry shout cut through the moment and she pinched his cheek. It was clear that she was angry as she ranted. "I told you not to drink the tea! That was my special tea for everyone and not you. I wanted to show them that I want to be friends with them and I would treat them as nice as I treat you! I went through all that trouble to find the right herbs."

"Special tea?" Yukine didn't think that most would describe her tea like that.

"Yato loves it. I always thought it was terribly bitter but he always tells me how good it was. He calls it my special tea." Nora told him. "Don't you think it taste great?"

Yukine chuckled to himself because he suddenly understood why Yato would lie to her about her tea. Her large eyes were staring down at her expectantly and he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. "I loved it."

* * *

 **Just a small fluffy moment that I wanted to write as an epilogue.**


End file.
